The Murders of Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee

During four days in April 2022, three gay men in Sligo were targeted through online contact. Anthony Burke survived a serious attack on April 9. Aidan Moffitt was murdered the following day, and Michael Snee was murdered on April 12. Gardaí arrested Yousef Palani, who later admitted all three offenses in the Central Criminal Court.

The first attack and the murders

Anthony Burke was attacked in Sligo on April 9, 2022 after arranging to meet someone. He survived and later provided information that helped investigators. On April 10, Aidan Moffitt was murdered at his home. Two days later, Michael Snee was murdered at his home in another part of Sligo.

The violence caused particular fear in Ireland's LGBTQ+ community. Gardaí warned people using dating apps in the area while investigators worked to identify the attacker. This dossier does not reproduce graphic descriptions of what was done to the victims because they are unnecessary to understand the investigation, motive evidence or legal outcome.

Garda investigation

Investigators connected Palani to the victims through digital communications, witness information and other evidence. Burke's survival was especially important because he could provide investigators with information about the person he had met.

At sentencing, Garda evidence stated that Palani had selected the victims because of hostility and prejudice toward gay men. Investigators also examined whether the attacks had an extremist or terrorist connection. That theory was not substantiated: Gardaí reported no evidence that Palani had been radicalised or that an outside extremist organization had directed the crimes.

Guilty pleas

On July 31, 2023, Palani pleaded guilty at the Central Criminal Court to murdering Aidan Moffitt on April 10 and Michael Snee on April 12. He also pleaded guilty to intentionally causing serious harm to Anthony Burke on April 9.

The guilty pleas eliminated any ambiguity about the legal status of Palani's responsibility for the two murders. They also mean the case should not be framed as an unresolved suspect story or as a conviction resting solely on media characterization.

Life sentences

On October 23, 2023, Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring imposed the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment for each murder. Palani also received a 20-year sentence for intentionally causing serious harm to Burke. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently.

The victims and community impact

Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee were remembered by relatives, friends and the Sligo community for lives that extended far beyond the circumstances of their deaths. Burke survived but described lasting consequences from the attack. The case also prompted broader concern about safety for LGBTQ+ people using dating apps and about the effects of targeted violence on a small community.

Why the two murders remain one dossier

The murders and the attack on Burke formed a connected four-day sequence investigated and prosecuted against the same defendant. Crime by Region therefore keeps the two homicide victims in a single case file rather than splitting one criminal series into multiple pages simply to raise the archive count.

Timeline

1. April 9, 2022
   Anthony Burke survives an attack

   Burke is seriously injured after meeting Palani in Sligo. He later assists investigators.

2. April 10, 2022
   Aidan Moffitt is murdered

   Moffitt, 42, is killed at his home in Sligo.

3. April 12, 2022
   Michael Snee is murdered

   Snee, 58, is killed at his home. Gardaí intensify the investigation and issue safety warnings.

4. July 31, 2023
   Palani pleads guilty

   At the Central Criminal Court, he admits both murders and intentionally causing serious harm to Burke.

5. October 23, 2023
   Life sentences imposed

   Palani receives mandatory life sentences for the two murders and a concurrent 20-year term for the attack on Burke.