Hasan Ali Gori, a 52-year-old immigrant from Chad with 11 previous convictions, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday for murdering Josephine “Josie” Ray, 89, in her bed in Nenagh, County Tipperary, on August 4, 2024.
A jury at the Central Criminal Court, sitting in Limerick, returned an 11–1 verdict just after 2 PM GMT, the Irish Times reported. The Limerick Post said he was then jailed for life.
Ray was strangled and smothered, the Irish Times reported. She had 44 bruises and two broken bones in her neck, and Gori’s DNA was found under her fingernails.
Gori arrived in Ireland from Chad in 2012, the Limerick Post reported. He had been living in a council house without permission while dating Ray’s daughter, Mary, who has a learning disability. The paper said his 11 previous convictions, including two assaults, were withheld from the jury.
Prosecutors argued that Gori killed her because he risked losing his accommodation and losing welfare payments linked to Mary Ray’s disability allowance, RTÉ reported.
Gardaí were called to the house ten times during 2024, RTÉ reported. Neighbors and family raised concerns before the murder. The council warned Josie that Gori’s unauthorized occupancy put her tenancy at risk, while a social worker testified that Josie was afraid of him and would not return home until he left.
