Man stabbed three siblings hundreds of times then threw brother from window

Andy Cash, 26, admitted murdering 18-year-old Lisa Cash, as well as eight-year-old twins Christy and Chelsea Cawley

A man has been handed three life sentences after brutally killing his younger brother and two sisters, and then throwing one of them from a window.

Andy Cash, 26, pleaded guilty to the murder of 18-year-old Lisa Cash, as well as eight-year-old twins Christy and Chelsea Cawley, in the Tallaght area of Dublin in September 2022.

The court heard Lisa was found with 71 knife wounds to her face, neck, chest and limbs

During the trial at the city's Central Criminal Court, harrowing details emerged of the attack, which saw the three victims ambushed in their own home and subjected to hundreds of stab wounds.

In a heartbreaking statement, relatives including their mother Margaret McDonagh expressed their devastating loss, saying, "Our whole world is gone and there isn’t anything that will change it. We will live with this unbearable heartache and pain for the rest of our lives."

Detective Garda Robert Whitty recounted to the court that Cash had been at a family event commemorating the one-year anniversary of a relative's death. After leaving the event, he took a taxi back to the family home and entered while the driver waited outside.

Eight-year-old twins Christy and Chelsea Cawley were also murdered

The court heard that the taxi driver heard screams but couldn't pinpoint their source. Shortly after, Cash reemerged from the house and instructed the driver to call emergency services.

Upon the arrival of the police, Cash exhibited erratic and aggressive behavior, even throwing a TV from the top floor of the house as officers approached.

The scene was described as one of utter devastation, with all three young victims sustaining "catastrophic" injuries. Lisa had suffered 71 knife wounds across her face, neck, chest, and limbs, including defensive wounds. Christy had 107 slash and stab injuries, in addition to those sustained from the fall from a first-floor window. Chelsea was stabbed 65 times.

Cash, 24, was given three life sentences

During the court hearing, Cash spoke only to enter guilty pleas to the three charges of murder.

Following the sentencing, the family released a poignant statement, emphasizing the irreplaceable loss they feel, "There is no amount of time a person can spend in a jail cell that will justify what has happened to our family... We are no longer the people we were when they were alive as we died with them that day. We do not know how to live in this world without them."