The Murder of Maureen Cosgrove

The Cosgrove family was considered respectable by most who knew them, but they were not without their problems. Lucy had battled drug issues and had moved back in with her two children some five years earlier. She had remained in the household to help her mother after her father, Terence Cosgrove, a financial consultant, had been found hanged in a park in 2007. Neighbors told police that Maureen and Terence had often found it difficult to cope with their daughter's drug addiction, especially when she had lived with them.

"Maureen and her late husband were very respectable, but the house was troubled with drugs and family problems," a neighbor told investigators. "Lucy had a problem with drugs, I think, and there were a lot of arguments."

According to another neighbor, Lucy had been in danger of losing her children to the authorities, prompting her to arrange to live with her parents.

"It was too much for him to take and that is why he killed himself," the neighbor said.

Still other area residents characterized the Cosgrove family as "really good community people," and many seemed shocked and genuinely saddened when news of Maureen's murder began circulating through the community.

The Cosgroves also have two sons and another daughter, all of whom reside in the area.