An American on trial for allegedly murdering his millionaire father in Ireland during a mental health crisis once tried to sacrifice a stranger’s baby aboard a flight, a jury was told.
Prosecutors testified in a Dublin courtroom that Henry McGowan was aboard a flight to Paris in 2022 when he had his first diagnosed psychotic episode, according to the New York Times.
McGowan, who was 30 at the time of the alleged murder, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
McGowan is on trial for allegedly murdering his father, John, in the five-star Ballyfin Demesne hotel in Laois. He escaped the watch of his family and friends at his Brooklyn apartment back in November 2024 and frantically purchased a flight at Newark Airport.
His family called the authorities, who checked on the disturbed man at the terminal, but he apparently masked his symptoms and was deemed to be fine.
While aboard the plane, 30,000 ft in the air, McGowan felt he needed to perform a ritual sacrifice of an infant.
He made his way to a couple with their newborn and tried to snatch their baby from a bassinet, according to testimony read in court.
Upon arrival in Paris, McGowan was arrested and spent a month at a psychiatric hospital in the city, noted the outlet.
He was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, a condition combining symptoms of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
After his release, he regained his footing and, in 2023, he followed a treatment plan for his bipolar I diagnosis and was destined to make positive changes.
All hell broke loose less than a year later, in October 2024, when he allegedly relapsed into a manic episode and fled to Europe again.
Though he stayed in touch with his family, a friend met up with McGowan in London and expressed immense concern for his well-being.
The acquaintance called the McGowan family to say that he was ‘roaming the city in a hot pink faux fur jacket and had a wild look in his eyes.’
Without hesitation, his father booked a flight to Dublin on November 11, the next stop on his son’s voyage.
He had planned to corner his son when they connected at the airport, but after McGowan’s plane landed, he was missing, and his phone’s location stopped updating.
Hellbound and Down 