Family of Rachel Callaly hope 'psychotic' Joe O'Reilly is never released - and mark 20th anniversary
In an exclusive interview with this paper, Rachel's devastated mother and brothers said they don't want O'Reilly to ever gain freedom, as they mark two decades since the murder which shocked the nation.
The family of Rachel Callaly say they hope “psychotic animal” killer Joe O’Reilly is never released - as they mark 20 years since her murder.
Mother of two Rachel was brutally bludgeoned to death by her husband Joe O’Reilly at the home they shared in Naul, Co Dublin - on this day 20 years ago - October 4, 2004. The horrific crime which shocked the nation remains a haunting image for Rachel’s mother Rose, who made the shocking discovery of her body in a bedroom of the home two decades ago today.
In an exclusive interview with the Irish Mirror, Rose recalled that horrific day, and how she hopes O’Reilly - who is currently 17 years behind bars, is never released as long as she is alive.
READ MORE: Probation officer transferred after 'positive' parole report on killer Joe O’Reilly
“I feel it as sore as the day I went in and found Rachel. When I think of what I saw what he did to her, the mother of his own two children, it was just indescribable,” she said. “I don’t want him to ever get out. Not as long as I’m alive.”
The Irish Mirror also received an exclusive statement from Rachel’s heartbroken brothers Paul, Anthony and Declan, who said they still talk about her every day. “20 years to the day, such a waste of all Rachel’s potential as a person, Mam and sister,” they said. “Brutally butchered by an evil psychotic animal. Not a day passes that we don’t mention Rachel. She is always in our thoughts and hearts, joined in eternal rest with her loving sister Ann in 2010 and her heartbroken dad in 2024. Such a waste.”
“Hopefully Rachel’s murderer is never released and never has the opportunity to unleash his anger and murderous intent on any other person. Today we remember with a smile all Rachel’s achievements and little life victories. She was so full of life, loved her family and friends and her smile and memory will always stay with us.”
Speaking from her home, a devastated Rose, who lost her husband Jim earlier this year, spoke of the heartbreak of marking their daughter’s anniversary for the first time without him.
“The big thing would be I’m doing it alone and I really feel that. I feel it doesn’t get any better as you know as the years flow on. I take every day, every hour as it comes. But I just nearly stood still when Jim passed and couldn’t believe how alone I felt in the world. I’ve best family but it’s hard. As I said since Jim passed away I just can’t handle things the way I used to. I miss him terrible and nothing seems the same. I feel as the years go by that doesn’t get any easier but the burden as I get older does seem to get heavier,” she said.
Rose told us that she rarely thinks of O’Reilly - but as the anniversary occurs she allows herself to do so - and still strongly feels that he should never be granted freedom. “The more I think about him trying to get out, the more angry I feel at him. Thank God he’s not part of my life at all. I think of the girls every day. He doesn’t contaminate my thoughts. I just don’t want him to get any freedom,” she said.
The grieving mother said she believes O’Reilly, who works in the tuck shop of the Midlands Prison, lives a good life behind bars - and that it’s a life he ultimately chose. He’s luckier than most innocent people that never did anything wrong. I don’t begrudge him that life. The only thing I want him to lose is his freedom. He has a life that he chose. I wouldn’t like to be in jail but I didn’t choose that. He did. I wouldn’t like to feel that he was swanning around with his freedom.”
Rose says she will visit her husband and daughters grave on the 20th anniversary of Rachel’s death today, and is thinking at this time of all she missed out on. “It’s not a great time but I sort of feel the years have flown by and in those years I’m thinking of all she missed out on and her two kids. She was taken away from them because of what he decided to do. Just because it didn’t suit him anymore.”
O’Reilly is currently being considered for a third time for parole -despite never admitting his guilt in the murder of his wife. Speaking today, Rose says she will do everything in her power to ensure he never walks free - so long as she is alive. “I hope he’s kept to it as long as I’m alive. I can’t sort of understand any circumstances and see any reasoning why he should get out. It’s not that I hate him. He’s just a non person to me. “This year is the only year I felt maybe there was a chance he’d get out,” she said.
The Parole Board is currently considering submissions from O’Reilly, his family and friends - and the family of his victim.
Rose told us that if someone did sign off on his release, she would hope to be able to talk to them face to face. “I’d love to speak to whoever made that decision and have a good chat. Ok they might know all about him, but do they know the devastation he caused and the lives he ruined.
“The life before Rachel is a life I left behind, it’s just changed completely. I’d request to speak to whoever before decisions are made.”
Speaking about the loss of her beloved Jim, who fought tirelessly for justice and to keep O’Reilly behind bars for years, Rose said:
“I wake up every morning and I give thanks for what I have. More so now because I just feel thank God Jim is up there and he’s helping me.
“I keep picturing the three of them up there together and I know he’s not suffering anymore.”
The story of Rachel’s murder has continued to make headlines ever since, and for Rose, the appreciation and support of the Irish people in that time has meant a lot. “I just can’t thank enough people because to this day it never stopped. I just think they took Rachel to their hearts and they have never stopped.
“I’m proud to be Irish. I said that to Jim many times over the years, I just feel the people out there are absolutely brilliant,” she said.
This paper understands that O’Reilly currently spends his time going between the gym and the tuck shop of the Midlands Prison, where he has a small number of pals - but refuses to mix with other life prisoners.
Sources say O’Reilly deliberately avoids spending time with other convicted murderers - and that he is currently engaged in Open University, studying the likes of art history and computers. Longtime lover and friend Nikki Pelley continues to be O’Reilly’s main visitor - as are some family and friends.
The killer remains convinced that he will be granted release, despite never admitting his guilt. He has been in prison ever since a jury convicted him in July 2007 - on the basis of extensive phone evidence that placed him at the crime scene despite his claim that he was working at a depot several miles away.
The arrogant criminal has tried to use this fact as a means to appeal his conviction - and he tried to take a case to the Court of Appeal where he argued it was a miscarriage of justice in May 2005.
But he would lose that application, which he then tried to appeal in the Supreme Court in 2016 - where he argued the Court of Appeal paid insufficient regard to his argument that he did not sufficiently appreciate, at the time of his murder trial, the significance of the book of evidence being found in the jury room.
However in November of 2016 the Supreme Court refused to permit O’ Reilly another appeal - in a crushing and final blow to his hopes of freedom here.
Garda Detective Pat Marry, who helped nail O’Reilly for the murder, previously spoke of his belief that the killer dressed up as Darth Vader when he killed his wife. Key to the theory was the belief that Star Wars fanatic Joe had every other item of memorabilia in his home - bar a Darth Vader costume, after he murdered Rachel in cold blood at their home in Naul on October 4, 2004.
Mr Marry, who has since retired after 33 years in the force said: “I always suspected that Joe compared himself to Darth Vader. His whole attic was covered with memorabilia of Luke Skywalker. He was fascinated with Star Wars. He had huge memorabilia in his attic, in fact the whole house was full of it.
“I always believed that he dressed up as Darth Vader when he killed Rachel. It was a sense of power, that he was invincible and he could not be touched. That is my own theory. I just feel that it was a power thing: he was going to kill Rachel and that was it, like how dare Rachel sort of thing,” he said.
Mr Marry also said gardai had information about the existence of a Darth Vader outfit, and it was never found. “We had information he had a Darth Vader uniform, but we could never find it. And it would be very unusual for him not to have one as he had every other outfit. He was a Star Wars fanatic,” he explained.
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