Northern Ireland judge acquits three men in Lyra McKee murder case

Three men accused of helping or encouraging the gunman who killed Lyra McKee have been acquitted in Northern Ireland, after a judge ruled there was not enough evidence to convict them.

McKee, a queer journalist and author, was 29 when she was fatally shot on 18 April 2019 while covering an outbreak of unrest in Derry’s Creggan area. She was struck by a bullet after a masked gunman fired toward police during the riot.

The republican paramilitary group the New IRA later said it was responsible for the shooting and apologised to McKee’s family and partner in a statement to the Irish News on 23 April 2019, describing her death as accidental. The identity of the gunman has never been publicly established.

On Friday, 3 July, Belfast Crown Court Justice Patricia Smyth said there was insufficient evidence to convict Jordan Devine, who was then 25, Paul McIntyre, 58, or Peter Cavanagh, 38. Prosecutors had alleged the three men encouraged or assisted the gunman, according to The Guardian.

“The evidence against those accused of assisting or encouraging has fallen short of that required for conviction,” Smyth said.

She also described McKee’s killing as “an act of senseless violence”.

Outside the court, McKee’s sister, Nichola Corner, said the verdict was a “complete and utter shock”. She said the justice system had “completely failed Lyra and has failed our family and has failed Northern Ireland”.

Corner also criticised what she called a “culture of silence”, saying around 150 people witnessed the shooting but none came forward with evidence that could secure convictions.

McKee’s partner, Sara Canning, has previously told BBC News that she believes she knows who the gunman was. She alleged he was “showing off” while an MTV documentary crew was filming nearby before the shooting.

Addressing the killer through the outlet, Canning said: “I hope you can’t sleep at night. I hope it haunts your every waking minute.”

McKee was widely seen as one of Northern Ireland’s most promising young journalists and authors, with work that examined politics, identity and the legacy of the Troubles.

Following the verdict, Reporters Without Borders called on authorities to continue pursuing “all legal avenues” to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.

The case remains a reminder of the risks faced by journalists covering unrest, and of the loss of a prominent queer voice in Northern Ireland’s public life.

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