00:00:03
[theme music]
00:00:09
NARRATOR: A fatal fall
at a newlyweds home in Ireland.
00:00:20
A young woman's life cut
short just six months
00:00:24
after getting married.
00:00:25
- She was a beautiful,
caring person.
00:00:28
And what happened was
absolutely shocking.
00:00:31
NARRATOR: Was it simply
a tragic accident?
00:00:34
- They find Mary
at the foot of the stairs.
00:00:36
She's covered
with a heavy duvet
00:00:38
and she's bleeding from
her nose and mouth.
00:00:41
NARRATOR: Or murder?
00:00:43
MARIE CASSIDY: Within minutes
of actually seeing Mary's body,
00:00:46
I knew there was
something wrong here.
00:00:48
PAT MARRY: I said, "you
may sharpen your pencil.
00:00:50
We have a murder
investigation."
00:00:52
[theme music]
00:01:21
AMBER HAQUE: Mary
Gough was born
00:01:23
on the 22nd of December, 1973,
in Drogheda in County Louth.
00:01:29
She was born to a large
Catholic family
00:01:32
of five children.
00:01:34
Her parents were
Marie and James,
00:01:36
and Mary was the only
daughter of the family,
00:01:39
and she was described
as laid back, independent,
00:01:43
and really friendly, and the
heart and soul of the family.
00:01:48
NARRATOR: When Mary
was growing up,
00:01:50
Pat Marry was a local police
officer who would later get
00:01:53
to know Mary's family well.
00:01:56
- Mary's family
were all very close.
00:01:59
Her father had died
when she was very young,
00:02:01
and I guess the fact that
she lost her dad brought
00:02:04
the family even closer.
00:02:07
She shone as a person who had a
degree of love and compassion,
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was just a downright
lovely person.
00:02:15
And her mother,
Marie, would say
00:02:17
that she was her best friend.
00:02:22
She went to the local
secondary school,
00:02:25
and she had the aspirations
of all young women of her age.
00:02:29
She wanted to meet someone,
get married, have children,
00:02:31
raise a family, do the things
that most normal people
00:02:34
would like to do.
00:02:36
NARRATOR: In her
late teens, Mary
00:02:38
met a man who she wanted
to spend the rest of her
00:02:41
life with.
00:02:42
- In the early 1990s,
when Mary left school,
00:02:44
she got a job in a pub
called the Huntsman,
00:02:47
and it was there that she met
a man called Colin Whelan.
00:02:50
Colin was a guy from
a similar area to Mary,
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and he was slightly
older than her.
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- She was 19 years
old at the time,
00:02:58
and it became very apparent
early on that the two of them
00:03:01
hit it off and they
were quite close.
00:03:05
He was very amenable
to Mary's friends,
00:03:08
and he was a good-looking guy.
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He was over 6-foot.
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He was a good catch, let's say.
00:03:15
Colin was an impressive
individual.
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He went to Dundalk
Institute of Technology,
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and there he acquired
a qualification
00:03:25
in computer science.
00:03:27
And after that,
he acquired a job
00:03:30
in Irish Permanent
Building Society
00:03:32
to do programming for them.
00:03:36
NARRATOR: Mary's career at a
law firm was also taking off
00:03:39
and the future looked
bright for Colin and Mary.
00:03:42
But in the mid 1990s,
their relationship
00:03:46
hit a sudden rough patch.
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- In 1995, Colin broke up
for a period of time with Mary.
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She was heartbroken
and confided in her mother
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and she really was devastated.
00:04:00
And Colin at that stage said
he wanted to break it off.
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He didn't want
to see her again.
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But as things progressed,
they got back together again
00:04:08
and it appeared to everybody
and Mary's family and
00:04:12
Colin's family that
the relationship was
00:04:15
going in the right direction.
00:04:18
And he proposed in 1998
for them to get married.
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- --to do it, Mary, and then
we'll get you sorted.
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AMBER HAQUE: On the 9th
of September in 2000,
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Mary and Colin were married.
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On the day, Mary
was quite nervous,
00:04:32
but she was comforted
by her older brother,
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who walked her down the aisle.
00:04:37
The newlyweds quickly
settled into married life.
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They moved into an area
called Balbriggan.
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It's 20 miles north of Dublin.
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And there, they renovated
a new house together.
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NARRATOR: Newlyweds
Mary and Colin
00:04:48
had a lot to look forward to as
they embarked on their new
00:04:52
life together.
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But just six months
after their wedding,
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at 12:16 AM on March
1, 2001, an emergency
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call was made by Colin.
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[ambulance siren wailing]
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AMBER HAQUE: 20 minutes
later, the paramedics
00:05:41
and the fire brigade arrived.
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They find Mary
at the foot of the stairs.
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She's covered
with a heavy duvet
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and she's bleeding from
her nose and mouth.
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Colin Whelan was stood over
his wife's body in a daze.
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He was asking paramedics,
"is Mary dead or alive?"
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NARRATOR: As first
responders tended to Mary,
00:06:02
they asked Colin
what had happened.
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AMBER HAQUE: Colin
claimed that Mary's sleeve
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from her dressing
gown must have
00:06:10
got caught on the banister, and
that's what caused her to fall,
00:06:13
because there was a tear
on the sleeve area.
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The paramedics found
Mary in cardiac arrest.
00:06:18
They began CPR on her
in the ambulance
00:06:21
as they rushed her towards
Beaumont Hospital in Dublin.
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NARRATOR: Colin
followed the ambulance.
00:06:28
And after Mary's family were
informed of her accident,
00:06:31
they rushed to the hospital
to be with their daughter.
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[tense music]
00:06:36
- But when they arrived
at the hospital,
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they were told that the doctors
could do nothing more
00:06:42
and Mary was pronounced dead.
00:06:48
NARRATOR: As Colin
and Mary's family processed
00:06:51
the devastating news of
27-year-old Mary Gough's tragic
00:06:55
fatal fall, the police, known
in Ireland as the "Garda,"
00:07:00
were notified of her passing.
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At the time, Pat Marry
was a Detective Sergeant
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in nearby Balbriggan.
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Following standard
procedure for all
00:07:11
of a sudden deaths
in Ireland, he
00:07:13
was instructed to investigate
how Mary had died.
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PAT MARRY: At this
stage, Colin Whelan
00:07:20
had made it known that
it was only himself and
00:07:22
his wife that
were in the house,
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and she fell down the stairs.
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NARRATOR: Colin was then
interviewed as a witness
00:07:29
to explain exactly
what had happened.
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- Colin relayed
to the Garda in a statement
00:07:36
that he was in,
watching the TV.
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His wife had gone
up to have a shower.
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After a period of time, he
heard thump, thump, thump.
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And he opened
the sitting room door and
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there on the bottom
of the stairs was Mary
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and she was unresponsive.
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NARRATOR: Colin's
witness statement
00:07:55
suggested Mary's
death was the result
00:07:57
of a tragic accidental fall.
00:08:00
But after speaking to staff
at the hospital where
00:08:03
Mary was pronounced
dead, officers
00:08:06
had more questions for Colin.
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PAT MARRY:
At Beaumont Hospital,
00:08:10
Nurse Galvin went over
to sympathize with Colin
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and she noticed his
shirt opened and
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she could see scratch marks.
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And Superintendent
Thomas Gallagher,
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a very experienced
detective, spoke with Colin
00:08:24
and he was asked
what were they.
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And he tried to brush
them away and he said,
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"oh, when she
flailed out of me,
00:08:31
she must have scratched me."
00:08:32
But that's the first
time he ever
00:08:34
said that, because that was
never an issue on the 999 call
00:08:38
he had made.
00:08:40
He had told her that
she wasn't breathing,
00:08:41
she was unresponsive.
00:08:44
But he changed his story when
he saw the scratch marks.
00:08:47
NARRATOR: As a result
of the unusual marks on Colin,
00:08:51
a postmortem was ordered
to verify Mary's cause of death
00:08:55
and their home
was cordoned off.
00:08:58
- Given what Nurse
Galvin had seen
00:09:00
and what Tom Gallagher,
the Superintendent,
00:09:02
had witnessed
the scratches on him,
00:09:05
he thought it best that
the house should be preserved
00:09:08
on the basis that if Colin
Sweeney's story was not true,
00:09:13
at least they were able
to have their house examined.
00:09:15
[tense music]
00:09:20
NARRATOR: After Mary Gough's
fatal fall down the stairs
00:09:23
at the home she shared
with husband Colin Whelan,
00:09:26
police continued to investigate
whether her death
00:09:29
was an accident
as Colin had claimed.
00:09:32
As part of procedure,
they carried out
00:09:35
a background check on Colin.
00:09:38
- He was a normal guy.
00:09:40
A good job, well
thought of in work.
00:09:44
And there was nothing in
Colin's past that anyone should
00:09:47
be concerned about in his
relationship with Mary
00:09:50
as far as her family were
concerned and his family.
00:09:53
They had a perfect marriage.
00:09:55
They were very happy together.
00:09:58
NARRATOR: The day
after Mary died,
00:10:00
a state pathologist carried out
the postmortem on Mary's body.
00:10:05
MARIE CASSIDY:
I'm Marie Cassidy,
00:10:07
and I was a forensic
pathologist
00:10:09
on call when Mary Gough died.
00:10:13
I was brought in because
if there was something
00:10:15
unusual about her death,
the state pathology department
00:10:18
would be asked to investigate.
00:10:21
Usually in the first instance
when I hear about a death,
00:10:23
there's very little
information available.
00:10:26
And I don't seek
information because I
00:10:28
would rather go
in and make up my own mind
00:10:31
about what I think happened.
00:10:33
Within minutes of actually
seeing Mary's body,
00:10:36
I knew there was
something far wrong here.
00:10:39
This wasn't
an accidental death.
00:10:41
This wasn't a death following
a simple fall down the stairs.
00:10:44
I didn't see the normal
bumps and scrapes
00:10:47
on the arms and the legs
I would have
00:10:49
expected in the circumstances.
00:10:51
What I did notice was that
Mary's face was discolored.
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Normally, after death,
the face is rather pale.
00:10:58
Mary's face was not pale.
00:11:00
Mary's face was
a blue purple color.
00:11:02
When I looked
at the neck, I could
00:11:04
see that there was a distinct
line from the neck down.
00:11:08
The skin was the pale color I
would normally have expected.
00:11:12
Mid-deck upwards, there was
this purple blue discoloration
00:11:16
of the skin, and that was
immediately concerning.
00:11:19
She had small
pinpoint hemorrhages.
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We call these
particular hemorrhages,
00:11:24
and I noticed them
in and around the eyes.
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I then proceeded to do
a neck dissection.
00:11:29
This is a very
detailed examination,
00:11:32
and I examined the neck
layer by layer.
00:11:34
And then I get
to the skeleton of the neck.
00:11:37
And that's your Adam's
apple, the larynx.
00:11:41
But it was the bone above
that, the hyoid bone
00:11:44
I found was broken.
00:11:47
Injuries to the neck
structures are not
00:11:49
common in accidental
falls downstairs
00:11:52
because you've got
a tumbling motion,
00:11:55
and therefore the neck is
what we call a protected area.
00:11:59
It does happen.
00:12:01
But if you've only got
a neck injury in isolation,
00:12:03
it doesn't quite
make sense about this
00:12:06
being a fall downstairs.
00:12:09
Once I found the damage
to the hyoid bone
00:12:12
and taking that with the marker
across the neck, discoloration
00:12:16
of the face, the small
pinpoint hemorrhages in and
00:12:19
around the eyes,
this then confirmed
00:12:21
my suspicion that Mary's
neck had been compressed.
00:12:26
And at that stage, I was quite
firm in that this was a case
00:12:31
of ligature strangulation.
00:12:33
And Mary had been murdered.
00:12:36
NARRATOR: It was
a shocking discovery
00:12:38
that dramatically changed the
course of their investigation.
00:12:43
PAT MARRY: Marie Cassidy
came into the office to me,
00:12:45
and she says "this
girl was murdered.
00:12:47
It's not a tragic
fall down the stairs."
00:12:50
And I was a little bit
taken aback because I
00:12:52
wasn't expecting that.
00:12:54
And she said she's been
asphyxiated by strangulation
00:12:57
by way of ligature.
00:12:59
I said to her, how sure
are you about this.
00:13:01
And probably a bit cheeky
of me asking like, because I
00:13:04
wasn't expecting that.
00:13:05
She says, I'm 110% sure.
00:13:08
Marie Cassidy was quite
solid in her findings.
00:13:12
I got on to my superintendent
and my very words to him were,
00:13:16
I said, "you may
sharpen your pencil.
00:13:18
We have a murder
investigation."
00:13:21
- Strangulation is actually a
very personal method of murder.
00:13:25
And that's because it
often involves
00:13:27
looking someone directly
in the face as you kill them.
00:13:31
And on top of that,
it actually takes
00:13:32
quite a long time for someone
to pass away from asphyxiation.
00:13:36
Most commonly then you
see asphyxiation murders
00:13:39
in relation to either anger
and rage-based murders,
00:13:44
or sexually-motivated murders.
00:13:47
PAT MARRY: The Gough
family had to be
00:13:49
told that it was a murder.
00:13:50
We could see that there
were a very close family
00:13:53
and that they were very, very
close to Colin Whelan and
00:13:56
his family.
00:13:58
The next day, Mary's brother
came down to the station
00:14:01
with his partner
and we told him, look,
00:14:03
we're treating
this as a murder.
00:14:06
Mary was murdered.
00:14:07
She was strangled, and it's
now a murder investigation.
00:14:10
Colin was the only
person in the house
00:14:12
at the time with Mary, so it
leaves a finger of suspicion
00:14:16
on Colin.
00:14:17
They could not believe
what we were saying.
00:14:19
We asked them not to engage
with Colin Whelan,
00:14:22
and not to do anything foolish.
00:14:25
NARRATOR: Until Colin was made
a suspect in Mary's death,
00:14:28
her family had seen
nothing to suggest
00:14:31
that he was capable of
committing such a horrific act.
00:14:36
HONOR DORO TOWNSHEND: From an
outsider's perspective, looking
00:14:38
at Colin and Mary's
relationship,
00:14:40
there might not be any
immediate red flags or
00:14:43
concerns about his
behavior or the state
00:14:46
of their relationship,
or his likelihood to go
00:14:49
on to harm her, to kill her.
00:14:51
But that doesn't mean
that there's not stuff
00:14:53
going on behind the scenes.
00:14:55
There might still have been
escalations of behavior
00:14:58
that the general public
are just not aware of.
00:15:02
NARRATOR: Following
the pathologist's findings,
00:15:05
investigators asked
Colin about his movements
00:15:08
on the day of Mary's death.
00:15:10
He told them that it was
a normal working day,
00:15:13
except that he went to a luxury
department store around midday.
00:15:18
PAT MARRY: Colin, during
lunch hour at work,
00:15:21
had purchased a bronze
ornament for his wife Mary, and
00:15:26
the lady who served
him remembered him
00:15:28
because of him saying
he loved his wife
00:15:30
and he wanted to surprise
her and all that, you know.
00:15:32
And she thought
that was very nice.
00:15:35
NARRATOR: Colin was also
asked about his whereabouts
00:15:38
after work.
00:15:39
PAT MARRY: He said, "look,
I came home from work."
00:15:41
He changed and went out
again to go to the gym.
00:15:44
He was there for an hour,
returned home again.
00:15:46
Himself and Mary were there.
00:15:47
They had some dinner.
00:15:50
NARRATOR: Officers confirmed
Colin's claims by checking
00:15:53
his home security alarm logs.
00:15:55
And with a clean
criminal record,
00:15:57
there was nothing to suggest
any suspicious behavior
00:16:00
by Colin in the lead
up to Mary's death.
00:16:05
- Someone escalating
from having
00:16:07
no criminal behavior in their
past, suddenly all the way
00:16:10
up to murder can happen.
00:16:12
It really depends on the motive
behind the murder.
00:16:15
Often, though, what you see
in cases of domestic homicide
00:16:17
like this appears
to be is there
00:16:19
is normally a pattern
of escalation of behaviors
00:16:23
before the moment of murder.
00:16:25
But that doesn't
necessarily mean
00:16:26
that anyone's been
apprehended or
00:16:29
any criminal charges
have been brought
00:16:31
for those prior behaviors.
00:16:33
And a lot of the time, things
that we see as red flags or
00:16:36
issues or concerns
from someone are
00:16:40
a lot easier to see
in retrospect
00:16:42
than they are in the moment.
00:16:45
NARRATOR: Within
days of Mary's death,
00:16:47
her funeral service took place.
00:16:51
- All the Gardas that were
involved in the investigation
00:16:54
attended to show
their support for the family,
00:16:57
and also to see the reaction
of Colin Whelan and his family.
00:17:02
Colin was acting
as a cold individual.
00:17:04
He was a big man.
00:17:05
He was 6-foot 5".
00:17:07
He was a well-built
man, but he was cold.
00:17:09
He had no emotion in his face.
00:17:11
He had no tears in his eyes.
00:17:12
He didn't put his
hands up to his face.
00:17:14
He didn't show any emotion that
he was going to bury his wife.
00:17:19
None whatsoever.
00:17:21
- Colin appearing
very emotionally
00:17:23
withdrawn at the funeral
isn't inherently a red flag.
00:17:27
Everyone responds to trauma
and loss and grief
00:17:30
in very different ways.
00:17:31
Some people withdraw
into themselves, and
00:17:34
so whilst it might not look how
everyone would expect someone
00:17:39
to present at a funeral.
00:17:41
It doesn't necessarily
indicate anything
00:17:43
sinister in and of itself.
00:17:48
The investigation into Colin
Whelan was well underway,
00:17:51
but the police at this point
were yet to establish a motive.
00:17:55
- Every murder
has a motive, and
00:17:58
you have to find that motive.
00:18:00
Because if you find the motive,
it will lead you to the killer.
00:18:03
Was Colin having an affair?
00:18:06
Was he trying to get
rid of his wife?
00:18:08
Was there financial
difficulties?
00:18:11
That's what we
needed to determine.
00:18:14
NARRATOR: Investigators
decided to search for clues
00:18:16
on Colin's computers.
00:18:20
PAT MARRY: It was
decided that it
00:18:21
would be prudent to seize
his computers and view them,
00:18:25
to see if there was anything
on it of evidential value.
00:18:30
His own personal computer
we took from his house.
00:18:33
There was nothing on it.
00:18:34
It appeared to have
been wiped, and
00:18:35
there was nothing
of evidential value
00:18:37
accruing from that computer.
00:18:39
- But when investigators turned
to Colin's work computers,
00:18:44
they found he didn't realize
that his searches had been
00:18:47
saved to an external server.
00:18:50
PAT MARRY: They had what they
called a double proxy server.
00:18:52
I never heard of that before.
00:18:54
I didn't even know what it was.
00:18:55
And they said, we
have a server that
00:18:57
captures absolutely everything
that any of our employees
00:19:00
do on a daily basis.
00:19:02
So I said, "you're telling
me anything that he looked
00:19:04
up or done would be saved?"
00:19:06
"Yes."
00:19:07
So I said, "happy days."
00:19:10
NARRATOR: But getting
to Colin's specific computer
00:19:12
activity meant finding a way to
navigate through months of data
00:19:17
covering 60 other employees.
00:19:20
- They decided that they would
devise a program and key it
00:19:24
into the logs
and look for key words
00:19:26
like murder or strangulation
or that type of thing.
00:19:30
And that's exactly
what they did.
00:19:32
AMBER HAQUE: What the police
found was chilling.
00:19:34
Colin Whelan had been searching
terms like asphyxiation,
00:19:39
how to block a windpipe,
and how long does
00:19:42
it take to die from choking.
00:19:45
PAT MARRY: What
was sickening to me
00:19:47
is that he was looking up
asphyxiation and strangulation
00:19:51
before he got married.
00:19:53
So he had this
intention, obviously,
00:19:55
before he got
married and played
00:19:56
out the six months of marriage
like the perfect husband
00:20:00
and then killed her.
00:20:04
It brought it home to me.
00:20:05
There was no doubt
in my mind at that stage
00:20:06
that Colin Whelan had
strangled his wife,
00:20:10
and he was the murderer,
and that he
00:20:12
had researched how to do it
and to make it look like a fall
00:20:15
down the stairs.
00:20:16
It was shocking, really.
00:20:20
- In premeditated murders, it
is fairly common for someone
00:20:23
to do research before
committing the act,
00:20:26
especially if they are
planning to try and get away
00:20:28
with it because they're
often looking
00:20:31
at different potential murder
methods, different ways
00:20:34
to maybe stage a scene or to
make it look like an accident.
00:20:38
And all of that's
very intentional
00:20:39
for them trying
to be organized,
00:20:42
trying to get away with it.
00:20:44
NARRATOR: Police
also discovered
00:20:46
that Colin took an unhealthy
interest in serial killers.
00:20:51
PAT MARRY: What was hugely
relevant was his research
00:20:54
into Henry Louis Wallace,
because the nine women he
00:20:58
killed and eventually
was caught for,
00:21:01
he had strangled them
but never left a ligature mark.
00:21:05
- Copycat murders
are relatively rare,
00:21:07
but they are well-documented
in criminology.
00:21:10
They are understood
as a phenomenon.
00:21:12
What you often see
in copycat killers
00:21:14
is that they are replicating
the behavior of that offender,
00:21:18
perhaps because they share
an ideology with them,
00:21:21
or perhaps actually
because they
00:21:23
have a sense of grandiosity
and they think they can
00:21:26
do the same act, but better.
00:21:28
So you have to wonder,
in the case of Colin,
00:21:31
whether he looked at this case,
he saw the method by which
00:21:36
these murders had
occurred, and he
00:21:38
tried to replicate
them thinking
00:21:39
that he could do it better.
00:21:41
- Our access to his computer
spelt out to us this
00:21:46
cold-blooded
and methodical individual
00:21:50
who used the internet
to follow his plan.
00:21:55
But we still had
not established
00:21:57
at that stage what the motive
was for killing his wife.
00:22:01
[tense music]
00:22:05
NARRATOR: After
investigators established
00:22:07
that Mary Gough died from
ligature strangulation,
00:22:10
her husband Colin, who
had claimed she fell down
00:22:14
the stairs, became the prime
suspect as detectives
00:22:17
continued to search
for a motive.
00:22:21
- Colin has said
it was only him
00:22:23
and her in the house
at the time,
00:22:26
and Colin had given up
his keys to the house.
00:22:30
So we searched his house.
00:22:32
NARRATOR: As a forensic
team scoured
00:22:34
Colin and Mary's
marital home for clues,
00:22:37
they came across vital evidence
in the couple's bedroom.
00:22:42
- The blood
staining on the wall
00:22:45
between the en suite
and the main door
00:22:47
was extremely evident.
00:22:49
When you're being
strangled, blood
00:22:51
vessels break
in your nose and they
00:22:53
emit blood in a mist format.
00:22:56
And they found that
pattern on the wallpaper.
00:23:00
So they knew something had
happened in the bedroom
00:23:02
and it was violent.
00:23:04
NARRATOR: Their discovery
contradicted Colin's claim
00:23:07
that Mary had
died after falling
00:23:09
down the stairs on her own.
00:23:11
- This is a case
of primary scene staging.
00:23:15
So this is where someone
has staged the crime scene
00:23:17
specifically with the intention
of misleading the police
00:23:20
investigation, because Colin
has tried to set this
00:23:23
up to look like an accident.
00:23:25
But now the evidence is
showing that actually
00:23:27
there was some sort
of confrontation
00:23:29
at the top of the stairs.
00:23:30
The blood spatter
analysis is not aligning
00:23:33
with Colin's tale of events.
00:23:37
NARRATOR: Investigators
also discovered
00:23:39
a vital clue in the duvet
Mary was wrapped
00:23:41
in when emergency services
first arrived on the scene
00:23:45
following Colin's call.
00:23:48
- Wrapped up in the duvet
was a yellow towel
00:23:51
and the yellow towel had
blood staining on it, which
00:23:53
turned out to be Mary's blood.
00:23:55
And it was a light
bulb moment because it
00:23:58
sparked a thought of me
about Henry Louis Wallace.
00:24:02
And at every scene
of his murders,
00:24:04
there was a towel involved.
00:24:07
And the fact that he had
looked up and researched him,
00:24:09
I believe this towel
was involved in some way
00:24:12
in the murder of Mary Gough.
00:24:15
NARRATOR: Marie Cassidy, the
state pathologist who had first
00:24:19
found evidence
of ligature strangulation,
00:24:22
also revisited the scene
to look for more clues.
00:24:27
- Where's the ligature?
00:24:28
What had been tied
around Mary's neck?
00:24:32
When I went up the stairs,
we had a look around,
00:24:34
and in the bedroom there was
nothing very much lying about.
00:24:38
But there was a dressing
gown hanging behind the door.
00:24:42
The belt was in place.
00:24:43
It was through
the loops, but it
00:24:45
looked as if it had been
stretched or something,
00:24:47
and there was some
staining on it.
00:24:49
And I immediately brought
it to their attention.
00:24:51
And I said, well, that could
have been used to strangle her.
00:24:56
NARRATOR: The belt was sent
to the forensic science
00:24:58
laboratory for testing.
00:25:01
- They found Mary's
blood on the belt.
00:25:07
Given that the ligature
was found in the bedroom
00:25:11
and Mary was found
at the bottom of the stairs,
00:25:13
I wondered whether or not she
had been strangled upstairs
00:25:19
and then manhandled downstairs.
00:25:22
She'd been literally
dragged down
00:25:23
to the bottom of the stairs
and then left in a heap.
00:25:26
NARRATOR: It was
further evidence
00:25:28
that Mary had been
murdered, most likely
00:25:31
by her husband, Colin Whelan.
00:25:35
- Friends and family
were in shock
00:25:37
that Colin was in the frame
for Mary's murder,
00:25:40
but Mary's mom Marie
said that, on reflection,
00:25:43
there had been a change
in her behavior
00:25:45
in the lead up to this.
00:25:47
And looking back
as well, Mary's family
00:25:49
said that on her wedding day
she just didn't look happy.
00:25:53
PAT MARRY: Her mother said
to me that she just felt
00:25:55
there was something not right.
00:25:57
There was something
amiss at the wedding.
00:25:59
She just couldn't
put her finger on it,
00:26:00
but Mary wasn't happy
and things weren't right.
00:26:04
- When the couple came
back from their honeymoon,
00:26:06
her mom noticed that
Mary was just different.
00:26:09
She stopped getting
her nails done
00:26:11
and wearing certain
clothes because she said
00:26:13
that Colin didn't like it.
00:26:15
PAT MARRY: Her mother says she
didn't wear her perfume that
00:26:17
she loved, and she said, "oh,
Colin doesn't like that perfume
00:26:19
and I don't wear it anymore."
00:26:21
AMBER HAQUE: Mary also stopped
even inviting her mom around.
00:26:24
And before this, Marie had
practically lived in the house.
00:26:27
She had her own bedroom there.
00:26:29
Yet something changed.
00:26:30
And the week before she died,
Mary's mom said that she
00:26:33
was calling her every night.
00:26:35
It's as if she wanted
to tell her something.
00:26:38
HONOR DORO TOWNSHEND: All
of this strikes as someone
00:26:40
who's potentially
in a coercive,
00:26:43
controlling relationship
because now they're married.
00:26:47
Now he has an element
of not only legal but sort
00:26:50
of moral control over her.
00:26:53
Manipulators and controlling
individuals in relationships
00:26:57
do this on purpose.
00:26:58
They do this to isolate
their victim,
00:27:02
and that way they
have more control,
00:27:04
more say, over their life.
00:27:06
And so for someone who is
seeking that level of ownership
00:27:11
over another human
being, these are
00:27:13
very methodical
steps that occur
00:27:16
with that exact intention.
00:27:18
NARRATOR: Investigators still
wanted to establish a motive,
00:27:22
so they turned
their attention back
00:27:23
to Colin's digital footprint.
00:27:28
- Further searches of Collins
computer revealed that he had
00:27:31
actually set up a website
and was managing this website
00:27:34
called extramaritalaffairs.com
and he was
00:27:38
portraying himself
as single and actively
00:27:41
looking for a relationship.
00:27:43
Police then found
through this search
00:27:45
that Colin had met
a woman in Wales,
00:27:47
and they were having
an online affair.
00:27:50
PAT MARRY: Through
communication, through emails,
00:27:53
they had sent
a total of something
00:27:54
like 123 greeting cards
between each other.
00:27:58
She had nicknamed him "Fuzzy
Bear," and he nicknamed
00:28:02
her the "Little Welsh Rabbit."
00:28:04
She was wanting to come
over and meet him
00:28:06
because she had fallen
in love with him
00:28:08
and was in love with him as a
result of this cyber affair.
00:28:12
HONOR DORO TOWNSHEND:
Colin going to the extent
00:28:14
to set up a whole
website just to enable
00:28:17
an extramarital
online affair really
00:28:20
goes to show the level
of secrecy that he's hiding.
00:28:24
The ability that he
clearly has to be
00:28:27
able to manipulate
those in his life
00:28:29
because he's presenting
as this loving,
00:28:31
doting husband externally.
00:28:33
But the reality of his behavior
is so far removed from that.
00:28:38
And I think this
is him actually
00:28:40
just testing the limits
of what he can get away with.
00:28:45
NARRATOR: With the assistance
of local police,
00:28:47
detectives decided to visit
his online girlfriend in Wales.
00:28:52
- The Welsh policeman said,
"I have Irish police here.
00:28:54
They want to speak to you and
they want to talk to you about
00:28:57
a guy called Colin Whelan."
00:28:58
"Oh, Colin.
00:28:59
Yeah, I haven't heard about
him in a couple of days.
00:29:01
I wonder, is he all right?"
00:29:02
We said, "he's fine.
00:29:04
His wife died."
"Oh, I know that.
00:29:05
His wife died.
00:29:07
He told me she was killed
in a car accident in 1997."
00:29:10
And I says, "no.
00:29:12
His wife died a week ago.
00:29:15
And Colin is the suspect
for murdering her."
00:29:20
And with that, she just
collapsed on the ground
00:29:22
like, you know.
00:29:25
NARRATOR: Continuing their
search for digital evidence,
00:29:28
detectives found
another potential motive
00:29:31
for Colin to have killed Mary.
00:29:34
- An insurance policy document
was found, and it showed that,
00:29:39
initially, he had taken
out a policy on himself and
00:29:42
Mary on the 15th of March,
2000, for the value
00:29:45
of 200,000 pounds.
00:29:48
But two months after
that, he upped the policy
00:29:51
to 400,000 pounds, which
was in excess of anything
00:29:56
that was reasonable.
00:29:58
The insurance policy
were taken out at a time
00:30:00
after they had been engaged
and before they got married.
00:30:04
And when you look
at his internet history,
00:30:07
going back before they married,
where he was looking up
00:30:10
asphyxiation and strangulation,
he obviously had it in his mind
00:30:14
at that stage he was
going to kill her
00:30:16
and he was going to cash in.
00:30:19
Also, the internet
history showed
00:30:21
he was looking at expensive
cars, holidays abroad.
00:30:25
He was looking at the high
life if he got this money.
00:30:28
So there is no
doubt in our mind
00:30:30
he wanted to kill his
wife for that money.
00:30:35
It was definitely the big
jigsaw piece that fitted in.
00:30:38
And to say, well, look,
this is the motive.
00:30:41
It was financial greed.
00:30:43
We had him bang to rights.
00:30:44
We were quite happy.
00:30:45
We had a very,
very strong case.
00:30:48
NARRATOR: On April 10, 2001,
police drove to Colin's house.
00:30:54
- In the presence
of his father,
00:30:56
I arrested him
on the suspicion of the murder
00:30:58
of his wife, Mary.
00:31:00
NARRATOR: Colin
Whelan was taken
00:31:02
to Balbriggan Police
Station, where the next day
00:31:05
he was questioned about
the murder of his wife.
00:31:09
- Colin didn't say anything.
00:31:10
He kept his mouth shut.
00:31:12
Now we asked him, "well, can
you explain how she ended
00:31:15
up being strangled to death?"
00:31:16
And he said, "I can't."
00:31:19
We asked him, "were
you ashamed that
00:31:20
you have killed your wife?"
00:31:21
Like, "have you
anything to say?"
00:31:23
And he broke down and he cried.
00:31:24
But he said, "no comment."
00:31:26
He was psychopathic.
00:31:27
That's the way I
would look at it.
00:31:28
He believed he was smarter
and better than us,
00:31:31
but we were putting questions
to him that were hard-hitting.
00:31:35
If he sat there and said
nothing, we couldn't care less.
00:31:38
We had the ace
card at that stage.
00:31:40
NARRATOR: Despite Colin
invoking his right not
00:31:42
to comment, on April 11,
2001, police officially
00:31:47
charged Colin Whelan with
the murder of his wife,
00:31:51
but he would have to wait over
two years to appear in court.
00:31:56
- A trial date was set
for October 13, 2003.
00:32:00
In Ireland, it's
common to grant
00:32:01
bail when there can be
long delays, sometimes up
00:32:04
to two years,
for murder trials,
00:32:06
provided the accused
isn't a flight risk
00:32:08
and won't interfere
with the prosecution.
00:32:11
Colin Whelan had
strict bail conditions.
00:32:13
He had to sign in every day
at Balbriggan Garda Station.
00:32:17
He had to live
with his family and
00:32:19
his family had to pay
a significant bail bond.
00:32:22
NARRATOR: For two
years, Colin Whelan
00:32:24
abided by his strict
bail conditions,
00:32:27
but seven months before
he was due to stand trial,
00:32:30
everything changed.
00:32:33
- In March 2003, his
family came to the station
00:32:36
to report Colin missing.
00:32:39
So we had to establish
where is he.
00:32:43
The family feared the worst
and his car was missing.
00:32:47
And we had to establish
where his car was
00:32:50
and we had to look for him.
00:32:51
NARRATOR: Colin's disappearance
sparked a nationwide manhunt,
00:32:55
and on March 12, 2003,
police had a breakthrough
00:33:00
on the east coast of Ireland.
00:33:04
- The police in Howth had been
patrolling Howth Head, which
00:33:07
is a known area for people
who commit suicide,
00:33:11
and they observed a car
there with keys in it.
00:33:14
And they thought
it very suspicious
00:33:17
and they contacted
us and I went
00:33:19
up immediately to Howth Head.
00:33:22
I looked at the car
and the window was
00:33:24
down on the passenger side.
00:33:26
You could clearly see
an empty bottle of gin.
00:33:29
NARRATOR: With no
idea where Colin was,
00:33:32
police turned to his cell phone
activity to look for clues.
00:33:37
- His last phone call,
we could establish,
00:33:40
was to the Samaritans,
which would be consistent
00:33:44
with someone, maybe
in a mental state of disorder,
00:33:47
that they would go and throw
themselves over the cliffs.
00:33:50
NARRATOR: With
evidence that Colin
00:33:52
might have ended his life
at the well-known suicide spot,
00:33:55
detectives triggered
a search for his body.
00:33:59
- We had a land and sea
search carried out
00:34:02
by the Irish Coast Guard
to see if his remains were
00:34:06
on the cliffs or in the sea.
00:34:09
Those searches were negative.
00:34:12
NARRATOR: Detectives
soon suspected
00:34:14
that Colin had staged
the scene to suggest
00:34:17
that he was upset, drunk,
and had taken his own life.
00:34:22
PAT MARRY: I said
to myself, "this is typical
00:34:24
Colin Whelan controlling."
00:34:26
He's no more throwing
himself off the cliff
00:34:29
than the man in the moon.
00:34:31
And wherever he is, I don't
know but I'm going to find him.
00:34:34
- I think that this
scene staging really
00:34:37
goes to actually show Colin's
narcissistic tendencies,
00:34:42
because this is someone
who thinks that he's
00:34:44
so intelligent, he
can outsmart the law,
00:34:47
he can think of every
preconceived idea and question
00:34:51
and answer them
by setting up this scene.
00:34:54
But actually, what
he's not accounted
00:34:56
for is that the perfect
nature of the scene
00:35:00
actually raises
questions in itself.
00:35:04
NARRATOR: With Colin Whelan
now a fugitive on the run,
00:35:07
Irish detectives launched
an international manhunt.
00:35:10
- When someone like
this has vanished,
00:35:13
you have to engage
Interpol and Europol
00:35:16
to circulate the details
of Colin Whelan
00:35:20
and what he's wanted for.
00:35:22
And you have to step back
and let that take its course.
00:35:26
It may take a short time, it
may take a very long time,
00:35:29
but you can do no
more than that.
00:35:32
NARRATOR: One year
on, Colin Whelan
00:35:35
continued to evade justice.
00:35:37
But in July 2004, around 16
months after he disappeared,
00:35:42
investigators
received a tip off.
00:35:45
- This was an unusual
turn of events.
00:35:48
NARRATOR: Colin had been
spotted over 1,000 miles away
00:35:52
in the glamorous vacation town
of Portals Nous on the Spanish
00:35:56
island of Mallorca.
00:35:59
- He was working in a bar.
00:36:01
The bar that he
was working in was
00:36:03
for customers who had bought
yachts of 1+ million pounds.
00:36:09
So there wasn't going
to be too many people
00:36:11
from Balbriggan down
wandering around there
00:36:14
parking their yacht like so.
00:36:15
He felt relatively
safe working there.
00:36:19
NARRATOR: But Colin's identity
was not as well protected
00:36:22
as he thought it was.
00:36:25
PAT MARRY: A lady,
a holidaymaker just
00:36:27
happened to walk
into the bar, and
00:36:30
she engaged with Colin Whelan
while she was in the pub
00:36:34
and he told her his
name was Cian Sweeney.
00:36:37
And he gave her his
name and wrote it down,
00:36:40
signed it on the back
of a business card for the pub
00:36:43
and said you'll get me here.
00:36:46
When she returns
to Ireland, the Gough family
00:36:50
put in the papers the story
about Colin Whelan
00:36:53
that he's missing for so long,
had anybody seen him.
00:36:56
And a picture of him.
00:36:57
And she saw it,
and she says, "Jesus,
00:37:00
that's Cian Sweeney, that's
the guy I was talking to.
00:37:01
That's him."
00:37:03
And she contacted
the station and he
00:37:05
was put in contact with her.
00:37:07
She says that's the card he
gave me, and he signed it.
00:37:09
I took a statement off her.
00:37:11
I went back and compared it
with Colin Whelan's signature
00:37:15
on the statement he made
and the writing to me,
00:37:18
and anyone who looked
it, was the same.
00:37:20
So I said, this is our man
and we needed to get him.
00:37:28
NARRATOR: 16 months after
Colin Whelan went on the run
00:37:31
from Irish police
wanted for the murder
00:37:34
of his wife Mary Gough,
after first claiming
00:37:37
that she had a fatal
fall down the stairs,
00:37:40
he had finally been located.
00:37:42
And Spanish police were
poised to arrest him on behalf
00:37:46
of the Irish authorities.
00:37:49
- On July the 10th
in 2004, at 10:30 PM,
00:37:53
the Spanish civil
guard raided the bar
00:37:55
where Colin was working.
00:37:57
- He was arrested
on the warrant
00:37:58
and he said, "you
have the wrong guy.
00:38:00
My name is Cian Sweeney.
00:38:01
You have the wrong guy."
00:38:03
And they took him into custody
and took his fingerprints.
00:38:06
And they said, "no,
you're Colin Whelan,
00:38:07
your fingerprints match."
00:38:10
And he just put his
hands up and he says,
00:38:12
"right, I'm Colin Whelan."
00:38:14
NARRATOR: News of Colin's
high-profile arrest
00:38:16
spread quickly to Mary's
family back home in Ireland.
00:38:21
- When Mary's family
were told, they
00:38:23
were shocked but so relieved.
00:38:25
They broke down
in tears on the phone.
00:38:28
Colin Whelan was
finally being brought
00:38:30
back from Spain to face justice
for what he did to Mary.
00:38:35
NARRATOR: Detective Pat Marry
traveled to Spain to bring
00:38:38
Colin Whelan back to Ireland.
00:38:42
PAT MARRY: I flew out
to Madrid to bring him back.
00:38:45
I went down
to the cell area and
00:38:47
about halfway down I
looked into the right
00:38:49
and there was Colin,
standing there on his own,
00:38:52
and he had grown
a beard at this stage.
00:38:54
Now, I looked at him
and he looked at me.
00:38:56
Our glances together
spelled it out.
00:39:00
He knew he was caught
and I knew I caught him.
00:39:02
He was handcuffed and put
on the plane and I
00:39:04
was chatting
to him, and he says,
00:39:06
"you know, you're very lucky."
00:39:08
And I says, "why?"
00:39:09
He said, "another week
I was gone to Singapore
00:39:11
and you would never get me."
00:39:14
- Whelan saying
to the detective,
00:39:16
you know, one more week
and I'd have been in Singapore.
00:39:18
I think it kind of shows
that he's seeing
00:39:21
this as a bit of a game.
00:39:22
It's almost like he's
trying to flex, you know,
00:39:24
that this was
a master plan, and
00:39:27
he would have gotten away
with it if it wasn't for you
00:39:29
and those meddling kids.
00:39:30
You know, it's
a bit gamified, and
00:39:32
it's clearly someone not taking
the severity of their actions
00:39:38
seriously, and certainly
not showing any remorse
00:39:41
for the death of Mary.
00:39:43
NARRATOR: On April
11, 2005, four years
00:39:47
after Mary Gough's
murder, Colin
00:39:49
stood trial at Dublin's
Central Criminal Court
00:39:52
in one of the most
publicized trials
00:39:55
in Irish criminal history.
00:39:57
PAT MARRY: At the beginning
of that trial,
00:39:59
and before any
jury were called,
00:40:01
he was arraigned by the court
clerk, who read out the charge.
00:40:05
He was asked, "did you, Colin
Whelan, on the 1st of March,
00:40:09
killed Mary Gough?"
00:40:11
and he looked round at me,
and he just looked at me
00:40:13
for a second or two, and he
looked back up at the judge
00:40:16
and he said, "guilty."
00:40:19
NARRATOR: Colin Whelan's
admission of guilt
00:40:21
stunned the packed courtroom.
00:40:25
- The Gough family
were very happy.
00:40:27
They were ecstatic.
00:40:28
But I looked around at his
family, the Whelan family.
00:40:33
They were gobsmacked.
00:40:35
They could not believe
what they heard.
00:40:38
They were convinced that their
Colin Whelan was innocent.
00:40:43
- There's a few reasons
that Colin Whelan
00:40:45
might be pleading guilty.
00:40:47
It might be because he wants
the shock and the attention
00:40:50
that this is going to give
saying guilty at this moment.
00:40:53
It might be because he knows
that by entering a guilty plea,
00:40:57
you're more likely to get
a slightly reduced sentence
00:40:59
because you're saving
the court a trial.
00:41:02
But it also might
be simply because he
00:41:04
knows the evidence is
too strong against him,
00:41:06
and there's no way out.
00:41:09
PAT MARRY: Colin plead
guilty, in my mind,
00:41:10
I have no doubt about this,
that he didn't want his family
00:41:13
to know the details
of what he actually did,
00:41:16
and that would all come out
during the course of a trial.
00:41:20
NARRATOR: As part
of his guilty plea,
00:41:22
Colin issued an apology
letter to the Gough family.
00:41:26
- He explained he was
sorry for what he had done,
00:41:29
but it didn't wash
with the Gough family.
00:41:31
It was seen more of an insult
and a hurtful, paltry apology.
00:41:36
And it was self-serving, I
think, at the end of the day.
00:41:39
NARRATOR: On April 12, 2005,
Colin Whelan was sentenced
00:41:44
for the murder of Mary Gough.
00:41:47
Addressing Colin, the judge
described Mary's murder
00:41:50
as the most
calculated and callous
00:41:53
killing he had ever encountered
in his entire time in court.
00:41:58
He then gave Colin Whelan
a mandatory sentence
00:42:01
of life imprisonment.
00:42:03
PAT MARRY: Colin
had tried to fool
00:42:05
his own family, the Gough
family, the Gardas, and
00:42:09
everyone else that
would listen to him,
00:42:11
that everything
was an accident.
00:42:13
He intended to cash
in his 400,000
00:42:16
and swan off
to wherever he wanted
00:42:18
to do whatever he wanted.
00:42:20
And that's what he thought.
00:42:21
But unfortunately, his
plan came to a sticky end.
00:42:25
Smart and all, and as clever
and all as he was,
00:42:28
he just wasn't as clever
as the investigator.
00:42:31
And I'm proud that it
had a successful outcome
00:42:34
for the Gough family.
00:42:41
HONOR DORO TOWNSHEND:
This whole case,
00:42:43
from start to finish,
really seems
00:42:44
like Colin's attempt
to assert control and power
00:42:49
and show off his intelligence.
00:42:51
All of it is him, I think,
trying to really manipulate
00:42:55
those around him still.
00:42:56
It's all still about how
he's perceived by the public.
00:43:00
And that sort of narcissism
is a real common trait
00:43:03
that you see in people
with psychopathy.
00:43:06
- Mary Gough's death
is unfortunately
00:43:09
one of many hundreds
that I've dealt with.
00:43:12
I've never forgotten it.
00:43:13
And I've never forgotten her.
00:43:15
And she's one of the ones
that stays with me.
00:43:18
And there's a few who do.
00:43:20
I think as a woman,
you feel for women
00:43:23
in those circumstances.
00:43:25
You think she was killed
by the person that she loved
00:43:28
and who told her
that he loved her.
00:43:31
And I think how often women
get into a situation like that
00:43:34
and assume that they're going
to have the happy ever after,
00:43:38
and then it all
goes horribly wrong.
00:43:41
It's just a tragedy.
00:43:44
NARRATOR: Over two
decades since her death,
00:43:46
Mary is still fondly remembered
by those that knew her
00:43:50
and those involved
in the investigation.
00:43:54
- I can tell you from what
I picked up about Mary,
00:43:57
from her friends,
from her family,
00:44:00
she was a beautiful,
kind, caring person.
00:44:04
She was very diligent,
very intelligent.
00:44:06
And what happened was
absolutely shocking.
00:44:09
But victims shouldn't be
forgot about, like, you know.
00:44:12
And as an investigator, you
get to know the deceased even
00:44:15
though you've never met them.
00:44:17
And I felt Mary was
really a beautiful woman,
00:44:20
a fine lady that suffered.
00:44:22
And unfortunately,
in this world,
00:44:25
there's too many women
that go through that.
00:44:27
[melancholy music]
00:44:32
[theme music]
