The house where Ana Kriégel was murdered

Glenwood House is the abandoned property where Ana Kriégel was murdered.

It is situated on the L3004 Clonee Road (Laraghcon) in Lucan, Dublin.

Two 13-year-old boys killed Kriégel at the derelict farmhouse on May 14, 2018. The boys cannot be named under Irish law because they were minors at the time of the murder. Consequently, they are referred to as Boy A and Boy B.

Murder

At around 5 p.m. on May 14, 2018, Boy B visited Kriégel's house in the Newtown Park area of Leixlip and told her that Boy A wanted to speak to her.

After she agreed to the meeting, Boy B led her through St. Catherine's Park to the disused property on the outskirts of Lucan.

It would have taken Kriégel and Boy B approximately 30-40 minutes to reach the house.

Upon their arrival, Boy A threw Kriégel to the ground, sexually assaulted her, and beat her to death.

Disappearance

Kriégel's mother, Geraldine, arrived home later that evening and asked her husband where their daughter had gone. She became worried immediately after being told that Ana had left with a boy.

Kriégel was a quiet 14-year-old who struggled to make friends. Nobody had ever come to the house for her before, let alone a boy.

Realizing something was wrong, Geraldine repeatedly called and texted her daughter but received no response.

The family spent hours searching their neighborhood and a nearby park before contacting the Gardaí (Irish police) to file a missing persons report.

Investigation and discovery

The Gardaí carried out searches in the area over the next few days. They also interviewed Boy A and Boy B, who claimed they last saw Kriégel in St. Catherine's Park.

The boys agreed to retrace their steps to show detectives her last known whereabouts. During the process, an officer noticed them sharing a "strange look." This behavior and their conflicting stories led to suspicions they were lying.

On May 17, 2018, a Garda search team found Kriégel's body at an abandoned property in Lucan. She had died from blunt force trauma, and a heavy-duty builder's tape had been wrapped tightly around her neck.

Her clothes were strewn throughout the house, and there were signs she had been sexually assaulted.

After the discovery, Boy A and Boy B were questioned and later charged with her murder.

Trial

The trial began in April 2019 and lasted eight weeks. The jury found both defendants guilty on June 18, 2019.

Boy A received a life sentence with a review after 12 years. Boy B received a 15-year prison sentence with a review after eight years.

The pair served the first part of their sentences at the Oberstown Detention Centre in County Dublin. Two teenage inmates reportedly assaulted Boy A in May 2020 while he watched television.

Both were moved to the same adult prison in 2022. Prison sources told tabloids that the two are not on friendly terms.

Boy B launched an appeal against his conviction but withdrew it in June 2023.

Glenwood House

Glenwood House was built in the early 1800s and designed by English architect James Gandon, whose other works include the Four Courts and the Custom House in Dublin. The house is a protected structure considered to be of special architectural interest.

The O'Callaghan family purchased the property for €10.5 million in 2003 and was granted permission in 2016 to convert the farmhouse into a 62-bed nursing home. The family reapplied one year later with a plan for a larger facility featuring a two-story extension, but Fingal County Council rejected the proposal.

The house was a hotspot for antisocial activity in the years before the murder. Residents stated that the fire brigade was regularly called to the property to extinguish fires. A local historical society contacted Fingal County Council months before Kriégel's death to express concerns about behavior at the site. Although the council raised these issues with the owners, no changes were made.

Politicians and members of the public called for the demolition of Glenwood House following the killing. However, this was not possible because the house is a protected structure. Instead, the entrance was blocked off, and the windows were bricked up.

Fingal County Council granted the owners permission in June 2021 to convert the building into a nursing home with 119 bedrooms. Priory CCL Limited purchased the property for €4 million in late 2021. A company spokesperson confirmed in August 2023 that it was proceeding with plans to build a nursing home.