A New York man was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the 2024 killing of his 66-year-old father at a hotel in Ireland.
Henry McGowan, 31, of Brooklyn, learned the decision on Thursday, Feb. 12, after an Irish jury reached its verdict following about 83 minutes of deliberations, according to reports.
McGowan had pleaded not guilty to murder by reason of insanity. At trial, two psychiatrists testified that he was suffering from schizoaffective disorder when he killed his father, John McGowan, a financier from Ridgefield, Connecticut, at the Ballyfin Demesne Hotel in County Laois on Nov. 12, 2024. The doctors said they believed he was experiencing a psychotic break at the time.
McGowan testified that he thought he was a prophet or a superhero and believed he was killing an impostor, not his father. He will be remanded to the Central Mental Hospital in Dublin, where he had already been receiving treatment.
While testifying, McGowan said he strangled his father with his bare hands and told him he would “always love him” as he took his last breath.
Defense attorney Michael Bowman described the case as “particularly tragic,” saying John McGowan’s instinct to protect his son led him to put Henry’s safety ahead of his own, with fatal consequences. Prosecutor Brendan Grehan also pointed to the father’s efforts to help, saying John traveled to Ireland urgently to support his son.
According to reports, Henry McGowan’s mental health struggles began in his mid-twenties. In 2023, ahead of the New York City Marathon, he wrote publicly about experiencing a manic episode in January 2022 and being diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder Type I. He said he had been released from the hospital more than a year earlier and was working to rebuild his life, reconnect with loved ones, and return to work and hobbies. He went on to run the 2023 marathon and raised more than $10,000 for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
By the fall of 2024, however, his family said he began experiencing another crisis while in Europe. A friend told relatives he had been acting erratically in London. While traveling on to Dublin, Henry called his family and told them he had stopped taking his medication.
John McGowan then booked an overnight flight to Dublin, relatives said, believing his son needed immediate help. After arriving in Ireland, John learned Henry had gone to a hospital seeking admission because of racing and intrusive thoughts. The hospital wanted to admit him but did not have a bed available at the time, according to reports, and told them to try another hospital the next morning.
The father and son stayed that night at the Ballyfin Demesne Hotel, where Henry had already made a reservation. John later told Dr. Lisa Cunningham, a doctor in Ireland who was assisting the family, that he planned to stay awake and watch over Henry until he could get him to a hospital.
Concerned that Henry was in the midst of a manic episode and could harm himself or someone else, Cunningham continued making calls and found a nearby hospital that agreed to admit him, according to reports.
Henry’s family in the United States tried to reach John to share the updated plan, but he did not answer. Soon afterward, they learned there had been a fatal incident at the hotel. One of John McGowan’s children later messaged Cunningham and wrote, “Henry killed our dad,” according to reports.
