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Three men have been acquitted of the murder of Northern Irish journalist Lyra McKee, who was shot and killed while covering rioting in Derry in 2019. The verdict, delivered at Belfast Crown Court, has drawn an emotional response from McKee's family and friends, who said the justice system had failed them.

Coverage comparison

Reports of the acquittal agree on the core facts: McKee, 29, was killed on 18 April 2019 while observing an anti-police riot in Derry/Londonderry, and the New IRA, a dissident republican group that opposes Northern Ireland's peace process, claimed responsibility for her death. All three men were tried as accomplices to the murder, and none of them fired the fatal shot, according to prosecutors.

The trial was held at Belfast Crown Court before Mrs Justice Smyth, who sat without a jury, a procedure used in Northern Ireland under certain circumstances. The judge said the verdict would bring "little if any comfort or relief" to McKee's family, but that the circumstantial evidence was not sufficient to merit a conviction. She described McKee's murder as "an act of senseless violence," adding that "the gunman has never been brought to the court and the evidence against those accused of assisting or encouraging has fallen short of that required for conviction."

Key claims

  • Lyra McKee was shot and killed in Derry on April 18, 2019, while covering a riot.
  • The New IRA claimed responsibility for the killing; the group said its members accidentally shot the reporter while aiming at police.
  • Three men were acquitted of murder in the killing: Jordan Devine, 25, Paul McIntyre, 58, and Peter Cavanagh, 38, as identified in one report.
  • The trial was held at Belfast Crown Court without a jury, presided over by Mrs Justice Smyth.
  • The verdict was described as "heartbreaking" by McKee's friends.
  • McKee's sister, Nichola Corner, said the justice system had "completely failed" her family.

Perspectives

McKee's family: Nichola Corner, McKee's sister, said the verdict came as "a complete and utter shock" and that the justice system had "completely failed" her family. She lamented a "culture of silence" in Northern Ireland, noting that 150 people had potentially witnessed her sister's death.

The court: Justice Patricia Smyth said the verdict would not bring "little if any comfort or relief" to McKee's family, but explained that the circumstantial evidence was insufficient to convict the three men, who were charged as accomplices. She described the murder as "an act of senseless violence."

McKee's friends: Friends of the journalist described the verdict as "heartbreaking."