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Three men not guilty of Lyra McKee murder
This is the photo that Lyra McKee supplied to Forbes magazine when it declared her one of its 30 under 30 in media in 2016.
THREE MEN charged with joint enterprise murder of freelance journalist Lyra McKee have been found not guilty. Mrs Justice Patricia Smyth, sitting without a jury under the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007, on 3 July acquitted Paul McIntyre, Peter Cavanagh and Jordan Gareth Devine. None was charged with firing the shot that killed Lyra on the night of 18 April 2019, while she was observing rioting in the Creggan area of Derry.
The New IRA admitted responsibility for Lyra's death at the time.
Another six men - Jordan Devine, Christopher Gillen, Joseph Campbell, Patrick Gallagher, Jude McCrory and Kieran McCool - were charged with offences including rioting and throwing petrol bombs. A tenth defendant, William Elliot, died in England in February 2025. McCool was found guilty of assault and Gillen guilty of rioting; we have no reports of any other convictions.
The Belfast Telegraph reports Lyra's sister Nichola Corner saying that the verdict was a “complete and utter shock”. She said the “system has completely failed Lyra, our family and Northern Ireland... This is not over, Lyra said if you’re going to go down - go down fighting.”
Kevin Cooper, Belfast & District branch acting chair, said: “This has been a traumatic period for Lyra’s family, partner and friends. As Mrs Justice Smyth acknowledged in her closing remarks, today's outcome will not give Lyra's loved ones the peace they sought and to which they were entitled. They have waited a long time for judgment in this case and have been tenacious in pursuing justice while having to listen to the most awful, chilling evidence over the last two years. Our thoughts are with them all.”
NUJ assistant general secretary Séamus Dooley said: “...It remains a matter of grave concern that no one was charged with the shooting of Lyra McKee; the person who pulled the trigger got off scot-free. In this case, someone has got away with the murder of a journalist - just as happened in the case of Martin O'Hagan.”
Family of Lyra McKee vow fight for justice not over after three men cleared of murder belfasttelegraph.co.uk
NUJ statement on Lyra McKee murder verdict nuj.org.uk