Misogyny and domestic violence are being blamed by leading Irish politicians for the murder of an American woman by a migrant from the Middle East.
Forty-three-year-old Jamey Carney, a woman who had been living in the southern Irish town of Killarney with her 13-year-old daughter for around five years, was found dead at her home after suffering severe head injuries in what police believe was a brutal and prolonged assault.
The prime suspect fled Ireland within hours of her death, before Carney’s body was discovered by her daughter.
According to Irish media, the suspect is a Middle Eastern man who had been living in Ireland for two years while seeking international protection. He was officially accommodated in an International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) centre in Killarney but was known to Carney and is understood to have stayed at her home on occasion.
Investigators believe the man travelled by bus from Killarney to Dublin during the early hours of Tuesday, July 7th, before boarding a flight to Istanbul at around 11 a.m. Police have warned that the man may now attempt to travel onwards to his home country, potentially complicating any future extradition efforts.
Leading politicians in Ireland are attempting to frame the murder as a simple case of domestic violence—not a migrant-related attack.
Labour leader Ivana Bacik urged the government to support a €3 million “Safe Fund” for survivors of domestic violence, telling parliament that the number of women killed violently in Ireland this year had already exceeded the total recorded during the whole of 2025.
Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the government is “supportive of any measure that will help women who are victims of continuing domestic violence.”
Irish commentator Eoin Lenihan criticised the response, writing that in both Carney’s case and the 2022 murder of Ashling Murphy, “both women were murdered by people who should never have been in the country.” He accused the government of focusing on “the nonsense narrative that ‘misogyny’ is to blame.”
British activist Tommy Robinson wrote on X, “Jamey Carney from New York State, moved to Ireland with her kid. Started dating Ahmad Al-Saqar, a ‘refugee’ from Jordan. She wore Keffiyeh, was pro pally, hated ICE, apparently converted. The inevitable happened. Her child found her dead. The ‘refugee’ is on the run.”
The investigation has also prompted criticism over the lack of information released about the suspect. Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that the police were unable to comment on his age, name, or nationality for legal reasons. According to right-wing news outlet Gript:
It’s a very strange manhunt indeed that doesn’t release a photo but then wants the public to help with inquiries. Garda sources reportedly told media that there are concerns the man may have fled the jurisdiction. How is keeping his photo and name and nationality secret helping with that problem?
