She Did Everything Right… And Still Didn’t Survive | True Crime Documentary

“This is a woman’s worst nightmare. I was shocked to say, she was out for a daily jog—you’re not really safe anywhere. Following a call from a member of the public at the scene, Gardai discovered a young woman with serious injuries. Medical attention was provided, but despite the best efforts of the medical team who attended, this young lady passed away. At this stage, there was no information that the victim and her killer were known to each other. The person who attacked Ashling here was disturbed by two women, who were then able to give a description to the Gardai. It fitted a man who was already well known in the area for violent criminal acts.”

Today’s case takes us to a small town in County Offaly in Ireland called Tullamore.

In 2022, it was home to 23-year-old Ashling Murphy. Intelligent, motivated, and hardworking, her dream from a young age was to be a teacher, and she was over the moon when she got a job as a primary school teacher at Durrow National School just a couple of months after graduating. She took to it like a duck to water, and her colleagues said it was like she’d always been there and part of their team. Her father said she never stopped and crammed everything she could into her life, one to try and better and push herself, and also to make sure she was getting the most out of every day. She pushed her students to challenge themselves but was never one to ask anyone to do something she wouldn’t do herself. She even bought a set of uilleann pipes, one of the most difficult instruments to learn, but she was determined to prove to herself that she could do it if she put her mind to it.

Music and the creative arts were a big passion for her in general and always had been. She had taken after her musical mother, Kathleen, and in school, she had been in the choir, the orchestra, the camogie team, and the traditional music group, but playing the fiddle had stuck with her since she was little. She was eventually in the top 5% of fiddle players in the country and had played at the Tullamore Tradfest Traditional Music Festival as well. Ashling was a family girl through and through and would always make time for dinner and drinks with her dad, Ray, mother, Kathleen, sister, Amy, and brother, Cathal. She was also in a great relationship with her partner, Ryan. The pair had first met each other at a disco when they were 15. They had dated for a couple of years, but they were very young and went their separate ways. They did keep in contact though, and a couple of years later, they reconnected and were inseparable from that point on. They had started making plans to build their dream house together, get married, and start a family. Ryan said she had the most comforting smile and infectious laugh, and no matter how low you felt, she could always pick you up. On January the 10th, 2022, Ashling went to Ryan and his family’s house to drop some groceries off at the door. They were all isolating as there was Covid in the home, and Ryan said he really wanted to give her a hug, but they just said hi and bye at the door, knowing they would be seeing each other properly in 10 days’ time to go on a trip together.

2 days later, Ashling finished teaching as usual and got ready to go for a jog. She worked out whenever she had time, and a quick run down by the canal to clear her head was a normal thing for her to do. Before she left, she told her mom where she was going, but Kathleen was worried, saying she should jog somewhere else. She hugged her mom and said:

“Ah mom, I’m 23 years old. Love you.”

Before heading out the door.

She was soon out and jogging down by the Grand Canal, a lovely area for some peace and quiet where you can often find people working out and walking their dogs. At 3:15, on Fiona’s Way—a walkway named after a missing woman called Fiona Pender—two women were also jogging down by the bank and saw and heard something odd. They noticed the bicycle on the side and then heard what sounded like a woman crying from the wooded area next to the pathway. They thought she had fallen off her bike and was hurt, so went to go and help. They saw a man cowering over her and pinning her down. A small necklace hung around the woman’s neck; the name on it was Ashling. The man heard them, turned around, and through gritted teeth and snarling, told them to go away. The jogger said the woman was moving every part of her body, twisting and turning, trying to get away, but she wasn’t making a sound anymore. Neither woman had a phone on them and there was no one else around, so they both shouted at him that they would call the Gardai and then ran to the nearest house to get help.

 

Authorities were soon there and found Ashling Murphy lying there motionless. Her attacker was long gone. Despite the best efforts of the paramedics, Ashling died at the scene. She had been strangled and stabbed 11 times in the neck, dying of blood loss. Her keys were close to her, and it was clear she had tried to fight off her killer using them. Experts said Ashling had clearly fought so incredibly hard to get away and tried everything she could until the very end.

“12th of January 2022, shortly after 4 p.m., Gardai from Tullamore Garda Station attended to an incident at the Grand Canal Way at Cappincur in Tullamore, following a call from a member of the public. At the scene, Gardai discovered a young woman with serious injuries. Medical attention was provided, but despite the best efforts of the medical team who attended, this young lady passed away. This area here, where the crime occurred, is popular among Tullamore residents and is widely used for recreational purposes. The victim of this crime is Ashling Murphy, a 23-year-old local lady from the Blue Ball area of Tullamore. Our thoughts and prayers are with Ashling’s family at this time and indeed the wider community, her teaching colleagues, and the children she taught who are without their teacher today.”

“Immediately following the discovery of this crime, a full-scale murder investigation was launched. Personnel from the National Specialist Units, including the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, have been assigned to the investigation. No stone will be left unturned in bringing this perpetrator of this crime to justice. At this stage, there’s no information that the victim and her killer were known to each other. From inquiries we’ve carried out, we believe this crime was committed by one male who acted alone. We’re appealing for witnesses who may have seen any person who is behaving unusual in that area. Any information you have, however insignificant you think it may be, we need to hear from you.”

The joggers had given a description of the man as best they could. His jacket was distinctive: a navy padded bomber jacket with unique stitching on the back. The bicycle that was near the scene, believed to have been his, was a Falcon Storm mountain bike with straight handlebars and green on the frame. Gardai have issued a very specific appeal for information relating to a mountain bike.

“What can you tell us?”

“Yeah, the Gardai commissioner held a press conference here in the last half hour. Now, we understand they have seized that bike, but it’s crucial to the…”

“The person making that decision would have to take into account that we still don’t know why he murdered Ashling. He has never shown any remorse or empathy and has done nothing but lie about what happened, and this will all be taken into consideration.”

Shortly after he was sentenced, he was transferred to a padded cell in another prison and put under 24-hour surveillance as sources claimed he had made an attempt to take his own life while on trial, and other inmates said they would be looking for him in prison. Joseph’s family still believe he is innocent.

“I would like to pay tribute to Ashling’s family—our mother, Kathleen; our father, Ray; our sister, Amy; brother, Cathal; and indeed her boyfriend, Ryan. The courage, the dignity, the resilience, and the strength that they have shown during this ordeal has been exemplary. I want to assure them on behalf of An Garda Siochana that we will continue to support them going forward and give them all the supports we can where necessary.”

 

“At this moment in time, and on behalf of the Murphy family, I would like to take this opportunity to express our deep gratitude to all of our family, friends, and community for their unwavering support since our Ashling was stolen from us 22 months ago on the 12th of January 2022. From day one, the outpouring of love and support was felt in abundance from the Irish people, both on a national and international level. She was not only an integral part of our family, but she was also a huge shining light in our community, a community in which year in, year out, she gave back to as best she could. Words cannot express gratitude to all members of An Garda Siochana who conducted and pieced together a robust and thorough investigation. We wish to formally thank the prosecution legal team, Justice Hunt, and also our family liaison officers, Sergeant Lucy McLoughlin and Detective Garda Alan Burke. We’d like to also thank the victim support at court team who were always there for us, always waiting to help us at any given moment. We would like to also thank the members of the jury for reaching this verdict. Sitting through the harrowing evidence of this trial was not an easy task, and we’ll be forever grateful for their patience and resilience throughout this incredibly difficult process. It is simply imperative that this vicious monster can never harm another woman again. Thank you.”

 

It is clear to see how much Ashling meant to so many people and how much her death had outraged not just her small community but Ireland as a whole. Some important conversations were started about safety, education, and continuing to tackle violence against women and girls. People banded together and united in such a huge way. Every case is horrific and it goes without saying they all affect vast amounts of people at a time, but sometimes certain cases are so emotionally charged that they ripple through the nation and further afield, leaving a lasting impact in ways we have not experienced before. Sarah Everard in the UK, cases like Ana Kriegel and Jill Meagher in Ireland and Australia, and now Ashling Murphy. Her partner, Ryan, said the painful thing to come to terms with is that he will have to remember her for longer than he’s known her. Amy said:

“We are consumed by what can only be described as nightmares that we weren’t there to save her. Ashling did so much for absolutely everybody, yet no one was there when she needed the most. As a big sister, I could not protect her while she was alive. All I can do now is protect her memory, and as a family, we will continue to set the table for five.”