3 Men Found Not Guilty of Murdering Queer Journalist Lyra McKee
McKee was 29 when she was shot and killed while covering riots in Derry in 2019.
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Three Derry men were found not guilty of murdering queer journalist Lyra McKee in 2019.
In response to the verdict, McKee’s family said the justice system had “completely failed” both McKee and the family, The Guardian reports.
The trial, which took place in Belfast, cleared Jordan Devine, 25, Paul McIntyre, 58, and Peter Cavanagh, 38, of McKee’s murder.
McKee, who was 29, was shot and killed while covering unrest that broke out in Derry, Northern Ireland. Born in Belfast, she had moved to Derry to be with her girlfriend. In 2014, she wrote a blog about growing up a lesbian in Belfast, which was widely read. She published articles in BuzzFeed, The Atlantic, Mosaic Science, Private Eye, and the Belfast Telegraph. Her book Angels with Blue Faces, about the Troubles in Northern Ireland, was published after her death.
Prosecutors in the case told the judge that none of the men fired the bullet that killed McKee. However, they argued that they had supported the gunman.
The ruling, which was decided by a judge and no jury, came after the case’s judge threw out a defense application to dismiss the case over a lack of evidence.
The judge in the case, identified as Justice Smyth, said, “Lyra McKee’s murder was an act of senseless violence. 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. I wish to acknowledge the family and friends of Lyra McKee who have endured a protracted trial which has brought them little if any comfort or relief, and I regret that.”
“Previously, the judge has said that each of these defendants had a case to answer,” McKee’s sister, Nichola Corner, said after the verdict, according to the outlet. “However, the evidence did not stand up to the level of scrutiny that she expected to take the case over the line, which means that that system has completely failed Lyra and has failed our family and has failed Northern Ireland.”
She said that a culture of silence needed to end in Northern Ireland.
“People are afraid to speak out, they are afraid to tell the truth, they are afraid to share information that they have that could convict guilty people. Over 150 people witnessed this event on the 18 April 2019; not one of those 150 people came forward with evidence which could have supported the police case and the prosecution’s case. That culture of silence needs to stop in Northern Ireland,” she said, adding, “We will not go down with this. This is not over. Lyra said: ‘If you’re going to go down, go down fighting.’ And I can tell you right now that every one of my family will, because we do this for Lyra. She deserves justice.”
In 2025, the Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists (NLGJA) in the U.S. inducted McKee into its Hall of Fame for her work.
