DUNMURRY WOMAN JAILED FOR SAVAGE MURDER OF PARTNER
In 2022, Julie Ann McIlwaine, a 34-year-old woman from Hazel Close, Lagmore, Dunmurry, was sentenced to a 12-year prison term for the murder of her partner, James Crossley.She carried out the murder, stabbing him while he was sleeping at her former home in Filbert Drive, on March 2, 2022.
During her trial, she admitted to killing Crossley but challenged the charge of murder, with evidence indicating their relationship involved domestic violence and coercive control.
After nine hours of jury deliberation in October 2024, she was found guilty, with the court rejecting her explanations.
Judge Mr.
Justice Kinney called the murder 'brutal and savage,' adding that her parole release would be determined after she had served at least 12 years.
The case was particularly notable because Crossley was on bail and under a restraining order at the time of his death, which prohibited contact with McIlwaine.
The defense argued she was temporarily overwhelmed by trauma, but prosecutors pointed to her deliberate actions—setting her baby aside to avoid blood and stabbing her partner ten times—highlighting her state of control.
Her cause of death was due to multiple stab wounds inflicted to the chest and abdomen.
The incident was described as a case of mutual domestic abuse that left many families distressed.
Police stressed that individuals should not attempt to serve justice on their own and urged victims of domestic violence to seek support.
