Saverio Bellante Not Guilty of Chess Murder by Reason of Insanity

The jury at the Central Criminal Court was told it would have to consider if he was suffering from a mental disorder at the time and could therefore benefit from the special verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Saverio Bellante (36) with an address at Beech Park Avenue, Castleknock, Dublin 15, denies murdering Thomas O’Gorman between January 11, 2014, and January 12, 2014.

In her direction to the jury, Judge Margaret Heneghan told them that if they found Mr Bellante guilty, they would be ignoring the testimony of two psychiatrists.

Mr Gageby also said that Mr Bellante had previously been treated for a mental disorder, known as hysterical delirium, and had delusions that he was possibly Jesus Christ.

The body of Mr O’Gorman, a journalist and and Iona Institute researcher, was discovered at his home in the early hours of January 12 past year.

The judge told the jurors that the evidence only points one way, and that two psychiatrists found Mr Bellante met the criteria of not guilty by reason of insanity. During the short trial, the court heard distressing evidence, detailing how part of the victim’s lung had been eaten. Prof Cassidy said the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and stab wounds to the neck and chest. Part of the right lung had been removed from the chest and taken into the kitchen by Mr Bellante.

“I tried to finish him”.

Also there was a frying pan with “reddish material” in it.

Mr Bellante reached inside his body and tore out what he believed to be Mr O’Gorman’s heart.

He also said he used a knife and a dumbbell to kill him.

“For a good and decent man to meet his end in that way is deeply disturbing but entirely irrational”.

Mr Bellante sat quietly with his head facing the floor, as the verdict was returned.

“It is normally wrong to kill a man”, but added not in this case. There was also extensive damage caused to the skull.

“There was a large gaping hole which was consistent with several blows from a large blunt object”, she said.

The trial is expected to conclude tomorrow.