Three men acquitted of murdering journalist Lyra McKee after two-year trial in Belfast
A Belfast judge has found three men not guilty of the 2019 murder of journalist Lyra McKee, shot while covering riots in Derry. The family calls the verdict a failure of the justice system and demands an end to the culture of silence that shields killers in Northern Ireland.
Verdict in Belfast
On 3 July 2026, Judge Patricia Smyth of Belfast Crown Court delivered not guilty verdicts in the non‑jury trial of Paul McIntyre (58), Peter Cavanagh (38), and Jordan Devine (25). The three men had been charged with murder as accomplices, accused of encouraging or assisting a masked gunman who fired four shots during rioting in Londonderry on 18 April 2019. After a trial lasting nearly two years, the judge found the prosecution’s circumstantial case insufficient, and the men were acquitted.
Family outrage
Outside the court, Lyra McKee’s sister Nichola Corner called the verdict “a complete and utter shock”.
The system has completely failed Lyra and has failed our family, and has failed Northern Ireland, to be perfectly honest.
She pointed to a pervasive “culture of silence” in Northern Ireland that stops witnesses from coming forward. More than 150 people saw the events unfold, she said, but none offered evidence. Lyra’s partner Sara Canning had earlier told media that the senseless killing had left “so many friends without their confidante”.
The shooting and the New IRA
McKee, 29, was standing near police vehicles observing anti‑police riots in Derry’s Creggan district when a bullet struck her. The New IRA, a dissident republican group opposed to the peace process, later claimed responsibility and said the journalist was hit accidentally while they were aiming at police officers. The riots that night saw petrol bombs and a burning car, and an MTV documentary crew was filming the disorder at the time.
- Lyra McKee fatally shot during rioting in Derry; the New IRA claims responsibility days later.
- Three men acquitted of her murder at Belfast Crown Court.
A voice of the ceasefire generation
McKee belonged to the generation of “ceasefire babies” raised after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement ended three decades of sectarian violence known as the Troubles, which killed over 3,500 people. She wrote about the lasting scars of that conflict and about growing up gay in Northern Ireland. Her 2014 letter “A Letter to My 14‑Year‑Old Self” became a touchstone for the LGBTQ+ community, with lines like “Kid, it’s gonna be okay” and “it won’t always be like this”.
Legacy beyond the courtroom
Her death inspired cross‑community mourning. Her funeral at St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast, chosen because it is seen as a “shared space”, brought together British prime minister Theresa May, Irish president Michael D. Higgins, and politicians from unionist and nationalist traditions. Father Martin Magill received a standing ovation when he asked:
Why in God’s name does it take the death of a 29‑year‑old woman with her whole life in front of her to get to this point?
In subsequent years, the Lyra McKee Award for Bravery and a bursary scheme have supported emerging journalists reporting under threat. The 2025 recipient of the award, Afghan journalist Salma Niazi, said:
Lyra McKee stood for truth and fearlessness, and receiving an award in her name reminds me that journalism can offer hope even in the darkest moments.
