Woman who killed partners when he was detained for 12 years

A woman was sentenced to 12 years in prison for murder on her partner in West Belfast in 2022

Julie Ann Mcilwaine from Hazel Close, Lagmore, stabbed James Joseph Crossley (38), while on March 2, 2022 he slept in her former house in Filbert Drive in Dunmurry.

The 34-year-old had admitted to having killed Mr. Crossley, but denied his murder.

In October 2024, jurors of Coleraine Crown Court rejected their argument and found them guilty after nine hours of advice.

The judge, Mr. Justice Kinney, described the murder of Mr. Crossley as “brutal and wild”.

He informed the accused that it is due to the probation officer to decide whether it was certain to bring them back to the community after which was at least 12 years custody.

During the court proceedings, the court heard the couple stood in a relationship that was affected by domestic abuse and forced control.

At the time of his death, James Crossley was against Mcilwaine against the deposit and was exposed to an injunction that prohibited him from being in contact with her.

The defense said that McIlwaine was under a temporary “stress reaction” from the trauma of her abusive relationship.

The public prosecutor informed the court that the defendant's “rational decisions” on the night of the sting had proven that she had control over what she did.

On the day he was killed, the court heard how Crossley and Mcilwaine had repeatedly argued.

He had told her that she had to “choose between him and her family”, took medication and slept in bed alongside her 10 month old baby.

In police interviews that were played in court, McIlwaine told the police that “everything only came up with me” and she thought about taking her life.

“I got all these thoughts in my head. I didn't know what was going on. I felt like a psychopath,” she said.

She described the police as she went down into the kitchen, took the biggest knife there and went back to the attic, in which Mr. Crossley slept next to the child.

“I put the baby on the end of the bed. I knew that I ran out of the way. I didn't want to get blood on her.”

Mcilwaine then stood 10 times MR Crossley.

A pathologist informed the court that his cause of death was given to the chest and stomach as seven stab wounds and that he had further wounds on the arms and legs.