Carlow woman jailed for murdering former partner in 2024

The Central Criminal Court has heard that a woman stabbed the father of her children to death while serving a fully suspended sentence for breaking into his home and beating his then partner unconscious with a pickaxe handle.

Sabrina Kehoe, aged 40, was initially given community service and a suspended sentence for that burglary and assault and was subject to release conditions when, two years later, she murdered 30-year-old Darren Quigley at the same address.

Kehoe's sentencing hearing today for murder heard that following her arrest she told gardaí that she was glad Mr Quigley, 30, was dead and added: "The big b***h did what the big boys couldn't do."

Last year, the Court of Appeal ruled that the suspended sentence had been unduly lenient and replaced it with one of five years in prison.

She would later claim in her garda interviews that she did not go there intending to use the knife and, afterwards, did not realise she had stabbed the deceased.

However, gardaí discovered voice messages on her phone to another person in which she said she was going to "slaughter" Mr Quigley and "cut him up".

After the stabbing, she boasted about the incident in another Snapchat message saying she had stabbed and kicked Mr Quigley.

A precious son, father and brother

At today's hearing, Mr Quigley's mother, Michelle Quigley, described him as a precious son, father and brother. She said his murder was senseless and left the family with nothing but heartache that will never go away.

Kehoe cried in the dock while Ms Quigley read her statement before Mr Justice Paul McDermott sentenced the defendant to the mandatory term of life imprisonment.

Kehoe, of St Mary's Park, Carlow, previously pleaded guilty to the murder of Darren Quigley at his home in Market View, New Oak on 21 October 2024.

Co-accused jailed

In November 2025 her co-accused, 24-year-old Conor O'Brien, who armed himself with a knife and a metal bar to lend "moral support" to Kehoe, was jailed for three-and-a-half years.

O’Brien, of Ardmore Drive, Browneshill Road, Co Carlow, had pleaded guilty to possession of an article in a public place with the intention of causing injury, incapacity or intimidation contrary to section 9 (5) of the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act 1990.

Det Gda Philip O'Sullivan today told James Dwyer SC, prosecuting, that Kehoe had previously been in a relationship with Mr Quigley and they had two children together. At the time of his death, he was in a relationship with a different partner.

On the day of the stabbing, Kehoe arrived at Mr Quigley's home where she was seen by various witnesses and was captured on CCTV wearing a covid mask, carrying a bat and shouting: "Come out the two of you."

Det Gda O'Sullivan said Mr Quigley arrived at the house a short time later and CCTV footage showed Kehoe running towards the deceased while he backed away. There was a struggle in which they both fell to the ground while she brandished a knife and stabbed him multiple times.

When Mr Quigley stood up, he shouted that he had been stabbed but Kehoe continued to attack him as he moved into his own garden, the detective said. A neighbour called gardaí but when they arrived Mr Quigley was unresponsive.

Paramedics took him to St Luke's Hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

State Pathologist Dr Heidi Okkers found four stab wounds. The fatal wound had severed a vein and punctured an artery in Mr Quigley's left thigh, leading to massive blood loss and shock.

Gardaí quickly identified Kehoe from CCTV footage and arrested her at her home. In the garda car, she claimed that Mr Quigley had attacked her and said she was glad he was dead.

In later interviews she said she thought the knife broke when she struck Mr Quigley and did not know she had stabbed him. However, the garda investigation uncovered the messages in which she said she would "cut him up" and later messages in which she described what she had done.

Det Gda O'Sullivan said the defendant has 30 previous convictions including for assault, aggravated burglary, robbery, possession of an offensive weapon during a burglary, possession of drugs and criminal damage.

In September 2022, she broke into Mr Quigley's home, assaulted his partner with a pickaxe handle and left her unconscious, the detective said.

In the Circuit Court, Kehoe received 240 hours community service for the burglary and two-and-a-half years fully suspended for the assault.

Mr Dwyer explained that while Keogh committed the murder while serving the suspended sentence for that offence, that sentence has now been quashed.

He said the court is therefore not required by law to impose the life sentence consecutive to the term she is already serving. Mr Justice McDermott opted not to impose consecutive sentences, meaning that Kehoe will be able to apply for parole in 12 years.

Cathal McGreal BL, for Kehoe, said his client had written a letter of apology which, she understood, would not be accepted by the family of the deceased. Mr McGreal handed the letter into the court without reading it out loud.

Mr McGreal added that a psychiatrist had found that Kehoe suffers from an underlying psychiatric disorder following a "lifetime of violence".

However, the psychiatrist found that Kehoe's level of intoxication meant she could not rely on her psychiatric disorder as a possible defence to the murder charge.