An extremely dangerous sexual predator and Castleblayney sex offender, Kealen Herron, has commenced his initial steps towards freedom 23 years after he raped, strangled, and murdered an elderly nun on the premises of her convent.
Images depict the 45-year-old Kealen Herron, a convicted murderer, exiting Arbour Hill prison in Dublin alongside fellow rapist and murderer David Lawler.
Kealen Herron is serving a life sentence for the murder of Sr. Philomena Lyons, aged 68, which occurred on December 15, 2001, at the Sacred Heart Convent in Ballybay, County Monaghan.
At the age of 19, he heinously murdered and raped the esteemed nun, who was well revered in the community.
Sources have verified that the shaven-headed Kealen Herron has received approval for a series of short-term temporary releases by the Parole Board to facilitate his re-socialization prior to his licensed release in the forthcoming years.
“Twenty-three years might not seem a lot given the depravity of what he did to Sr Philomena Lyons,” the source said.
“And he is still a relatively young man.
“But this was a decision for the Parole Board, and they have obviously deemed him to be at a low risk of re-offending.
“The other reality is that the prisons are bursting at the seams due to overcrowding.
“Lifers who are considered to be low risk and who are coming towards the end of their sentences may benefit from this and get out earlier than they would have otherwise.”
In 2003, Kealen Herron of Derry, Lattin, Castleblayney, Co Monaghan, received a mandatory life sentence from Mr. Justice Paul Carney following the examination of the circumstances surrounding the homicide.
The court was informed that Sr. Philomena, originally named Christina Lyons, was born in Rahan, Mallow, County Cork, in 1932.
In 1950, she joined the order of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.
After completing her training as a primary school teacher, she worked for six years in Bellmawr, New Jersey, before returning to Ireland, where she taught for 35 years at St Brigid’s National School in Ballybay, County Monaghan.
Superintendent Tom Long informed Eamonn Leahy SC, representing the DPP, that she was retired at the time of her death.
On December 15, 2001, she intended to take a local bus to Dublin.
Following breakfast, and “in a jovial mood,” Sr. Philomena departed at 8:10 AM, escorted to the gates by Head Nun Sr. Aloysius, according to Supt. Long.
He stated that she possessed two diminutive luggage and a plastic bag.
She asserted that her colleague departed due to the frigid morning.
Shortly thereafter, she encountered a convent employee, the final individual, aside from her assailant, to witness her alive.
The court was informed that it was approximately 8:20 AM.
Sr. Aloysius gazed towards the monastery entrance.
She did not observe Sr. Philomena, but she saw the absence of her baggage and thus inferred that she had departed for the bus.
She also observed an individual who seemed to be behaving “somewhat suspiciously,” which Supt Long concurred with counsel.
He concurred that Sr. Philomena did not embark on the bus that departed from the convent at approximately 8:30 AM.
Her co-workers expressed fear for her safety upon seeing that her luggage was abandoned on the roadside.
Upon her failure to arrive in Blackrock, Co. Dublin, later that day, gardaí were notified and a search commenced.
Sr. Philomena’s body was discovered around 5:05 PM beside a hedge within the convent premises.
The court was informed that Dr Marie Cassidy, the former deputy state pathologist, determined that the woman had been strangled with her own scarf, which remained securely fastened around her neck.
Contusions surrounding her jaw and neck indicated that her assailant had covered her mouth during the assault.
Dr. Cassidy concluded that the nun was unconscious at the time of the subsequent attack, a point with which Supt. Long concurred.
Her attire was disarranged, specifically her tights and undergarments were lowered.
Evidence of rape was present.
The assault occurred in the vicinity of the location where the body was discovered.
The court was informed that gardaí promptly confiscated all security footage from the vicinity and, through this evidence and questionnaires, identified a local juvenile, Kealen Herron, who had entered a nearby shop on two occasions.
Then, at a Garda roadblock, Kealen Herron responded to enquiries and then offered to provide a fingerprint sample. At that juncture, he was not considered a suspect.
Upon reviewing the completed questionnaire, inconsistencies emerged, and a fingerprint resembling his was discovered on the nun’s spectacles.
Detective Inspector (now Superintendent) Hugh Coll apprehended Kealen Herron on December 19, 2001, and after a cautionary interrogation, the teenager confessed to the murder.
In his initial remarks to the gardaí, he confessed to having sexually assaulted her subsequent to strangling her.
Subsequently, he retracted his earlier assertions and admitted to having assaulted her initially and strangled her out of fear that she would disclose his name.
The counsel for the DPP subsequently filed a nolle prosequi on the sexual assault case against Herron, in addition to the murder charge.
The superintendent stated that garments were confiscated from Kealen Herron’s residence.
A DNA match was then established between the stains on his jeans and those on Sr. Philomena’s clothes.
Patrick Gageby SC, representing Kealen Herron, stated that his client intended to convey his “profound remorse for his actions.”
David Lawler is a first cousin of the infamous predator Larry Murphy.
The 60-year-old perpetrator, a former telephone technician, violently raped and murdered civil servant Marilyn Rynn while she was taking a shortcut home from a Christmas party in the early hours of December 22, 1995.
The 41-year-old resident of Blanchardstown, west Dublin, was engaged in the civil service at the Department of the Environment.
On the evening of December 21, 1995, she participated in a work Christmas gathering with her colleagues at the Shieling Hotel in Raheny.
She departed the gathering at 2 AM and thereafter convened with pals for a meal on O’Connell Street.
At approximately 3 AM, she boarded the Nitelink bus from Westmoreland Street to return home.
Upon disembarking near her residence, Marilyn traversed a route via Tolka Valley Park, where she was assaulted by Lawler.
She was raped and strangled.
Marilyn was reported missing on St. Stephen’s Day after she did not attend Christmas dinner at her parents’ residence.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this website, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.