A brother of murder victim Jennifer Poole has told how he’s haunted every night by the image of her lying dead.
Last week evil killer Gavin Murphy was sentenced to life in prison for the brutal stab attack on mum-of-two Jennifer, 24, at her home in Finglas, North Dublin, on April 17, 2021.
And in the second-part of our interview with Jennifer’s heartbroken brother today, Jason Poole told how he struggles to sleep at night as he remembers the last time he saw his sister, when he had to identify her in hospital.
Read more: Brother of murder victim Jennifer Poole says her children are living 'in fear for their lives'
He said: “When I close my eyes at night time I don’t see Jennifer as Jennifer. I see Jennifer lying there, dead, cold, full of blood, and nobody can take that away from me.”
Jason, who is now calling on Justice Minister Helen McEntee to bring in new legislation to tackle domestic violence, says he can vividly remember the last time he saw his sister alive – the night before evil Murphy, 30, would take her life.
He added: “For me, the last time I saw Jennifer alive was the night before when she was going out with her friends and she was on top form.
“It was the first time that we had seen her dressed up in a long time. She had her hair done and her make-up done, all they were doing was going out to get a milkshake.
“The next time I saw her was in Connolly Hospital lying dead and full of blood, to go in and identify her and not being able to touch her, and not being able to say goodbye because somebody had taken her life.”
Jason told how he was unable to properly say goodbye to his sister – and how this has stayed with him over a year on.
Read more: Jennie Poole remembered as 'mother like no other' and devoted to her kids
He said: “I walked in with a Guard either side of me not being able to touch her. They’re my last images of Jennifer.
“I have to deal with that every day, as do my parents and my siblings. Trying to remember what she looked like, what our last conversations were, reading her last text messages. That’s all we have.”
Tragic Jennifer was brutally stabbed seven times by her ex, Murphy, who she had split with only weeks before.
Read more: 'Jennie Poole was a doting mother tragically killed in the summer of her life'
And now Jason says the family struggle to come to terms with what Jennifer went through in her final moments – something they may never fully know.
Jason added: “We don’t know what her last words were or what she felt, did she know she was going to die?
“We don’t know those things. They’re the questions that you play out in your head day after day.
“I couldn’t tell you that I sleep properly at night because I don’t. For the last year I have played that day out in my head over and over again.
“What happened to her, when did she realise, what did he use to kill her. It’s torture. Every day is torture.”
Jason is now calling for the Government to enact legislation that would see Ireland’s domestic violence abusers placed on a register – similar to a sex offenders register.
In the case of his sister, he says she often hid the truth from those around her, as she lived in fear of Murphy.
He added: “We as a family knew there was something going on, but she always covered it up, she always had another reason for her injuries.
“She lived in fear of him. You know if you look up the definition of a narcissist, he ticked every box for what he did. If it was payday he’d
be with her, if it wasn’t payday you wouldn’t see him. It was all that kind of controlling that he had on her.”
Had a law been in place to allow victims like Jennifer to know her
partner’s violent history, Jason is convinced she could still be here.
Similarly he believes if Murphy had served his entire sentence for a previous attack, he would never have met Jennifer.
He added: “I believe 100% it would be different.
“If that law were here today she would still be here.
“The things that he would have done, the social and emotional abuse, and her kids would have witnessed a lot of the stuff too.”
Initially Murphy tried to claim he had killed Jennifer after an argument went wrong – and that he acted in the heat of the moment.
But Jason believes the sheer violence of the attack, coupled with the amount of times his sister was stabbed, shows Murphy intended to kill her that day.
He added: “He gave a paragraph in court to say he was apologising and he loved her.
“If you really loved her and even though you said there was a heated argument, even though there was no evidence of any of that, you wouldn’t stab somebody seven times.”
Jason believes Murphy shouldn’t ever be released from prison – and that if he is truly to serve a life sentence, then he will remain behind bars for the rest of his life.
He said: “If there were stronger laws in relation to knife crime and domestic violence in the first place, he shouldn’t have been on the streets.
“He shouldn’t ever see the light again for what he did.
“You take a life, you should do life, and that’s it.”
Read more: Dublin man described as ‘worst of humanity’ jailed for life for murder of Finglas mum Jennifer Poole
Read more: Man pleads guilty to murder of Finglas mum-of-two Jennie Poole
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