Renato Gehlen messaged that he wanted to stab, then murdered his wife as she prepared to leave their marriage. A unanimous Central Criminal Court jury rejected the Brazilian national’s claim that Anne Colomines stabbed herself. The Court of Appeal later rejected an attempt to introduce provocation into a defence built around denying the killing.
The murder
Gehlen and Colomines, a French national, met while working in Ireland and married in 2012. By 2017 she wanted a divorce. On 25 October, Gehlen sent a friend a message saying, “I really want to stab.” Minutes after Colomines’ last message to her new partner, the friend testified, Gehlen telephoned to say he had killed Anne and intended to kill himself. The friend alerted emergency services.
Colomines was found dead in the Dublin apartment. She had four stab wounds, including one through the heart, a 22cm incision across her throat and hand injuries consistent with defence. Gehlen claimed she stabbed herself during a struggle. The State Pathologist said self-infliction was highly unlikely.
Verdict, sentence and appeal
A jury unanimously convicted Gehlen of murder on 29 September 2021. Mr Justice Michael MacGrath imposed mandatory life imprisonment and said the family’s ordeal was worsened by Gehlen blaming Colomines for her death. In 2023, Gehlen argued provocation should have been left to the jury. The Court of Appeal dismissed the case, finding no evidential foundation for loss of control and a contradiction with his insistence that he had not intentionally inflicted the wounds.
Residence and immigration facts
Gehlen was a Brazilian national who had established work and family life in Dublin by 2012. No source reviewed establishes illegal entry, asylum history or lack of permission. No public case-specific evidence reports a deportation order or prisoner-transfer plan. A life sentence remains enforceable regardless of nationality; removal cannot be treated as a shortcut around punishment and public protection.
Chronology
- By October 2012: Working in Ireland and married to Anne Colomines.
- 25 October 2017: Warning message and murder.
- 13 November 2017: Charged and remanded after hospital treatment.
- 29 September 2021: Unanimous guilty verdict.
- 22 October 2021: Mandatory life sentence.
- 13 October 2023: Conviction appeal dismissed.
Cost benchmark
A life sentence has no fixed endpoint and receives no ordinary remission. At the 2024 staffed-space average, the twelve years that must elapse before parole can be granted represent €1,188,864. Twenty years at the same constant rate would be €1,981,440.
Questions the State should answer
- What immigration permission did Gehlen hold and has it been reviewed?
- Has any lawful transfer or post-parole removal route been assessed?
- How will the life sentence and public protection remain enforceable?
- How will Colomines’ family in France participate in future parole processes?
- What weight will risk assessment give to controlling conduct and blame of the victim?
- What is the actual accumulated justice-system cost?