A man has been handed a life sentence for the capital murder of Detective Garda Colm Horkan.
Stephen Silver, of Foxford, Co Mayo, shot the detective 11 times with his own gun as he tried to arrest him in Castlerea, County Roscommon in June 2020.
In his victim impact statement, Detective Horkan’s father, Marty, described his son as “reliable and honest” and he said he was proud of the gentleman he became.
Because he killed a garda in the course of his duties, Stephen Silver will spend at least 40 years in prison, before he can apply for parole.
Stephen Silver handed life sentence for the murder of Detective Garda Colm Horkan.
He shot him eleven times as he tried to arrest him in Castlerea, Co Roscommon in June 2020.
Because he killed a garda in the course of his duties, Silver will spend at least 40 years in prison.
— Frank Greaney (@FrankGreaney) April 19, 2023
Last month, a jury found Mr. Silver guilty of capital murder in what was a retrial before the Central Criminal Court.
He admitted to shooting him, but claimed he was suffering a relapse of a mental disorder at the time.
The issue for the jurors to decide was whether he had the mental capacity to form the requisite intent for murder.
The jury in his original trial were unable to reach agreement, but he was convicted of capital murder after nine hours of deliberations in his retrial.
