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#DC-0014

Lyra McKee

Journalist killed during unrest in Derry/Londonderry in 2019; three men tried over her murder were acquitted in July 2026.

Acquitted
last updated 13 July 2026 · 4 sources
Confirmed facts
9
Open questions
4
Verdict date
3 Jul 2026
Convictions
0
This case is still developing. Get an email when the file updates.
Audio brief · automated narration of the sourced record
Transcript

Case file Lyra McKee, reference D C zero zero one four. The Guardian reported that on eighteenth April twenty nineteen, Lyra McKee, a twenty-nine-year-old journalist from Belfast, died after being hit by a bullet while standing close to police vehicles and observing rioting in the Creggan area of Derry slash Londonderry. The Associated Press reported that McKee was standing near law enforcement officers and observing an anti-police riot in Londonderry, also known as Derry, when she was shot. The Guardian reported that, after the shooting, the New IRA claimed responsibility for McKee’s killing. In May twenty twenty-four, The Guardian reported that the trial of Jordan Devine, Paul McIntyre and Peter Cavanagh opened at Belfast Crown Court before Mrs Justice Smyth, sitting without a jury. Prosecutors alleged joint enterprise, while saying none of the three fired the fatal shot. Those allegations were unproven. On third July twenty twenty-six, The Guardian reported that all three were found not guilty of murder. The file’s open questions include who fired the fatal shot, whether further proceedings will follow, what further witness evidence may become available, and whether anyone will ever be convicted of murder in McKee’s killing. This has been an automated reading of case file D C zero zero one four at developing case dot com. Every fact you heard names a public source.

Timeline of what's confirmed9 entries
18 April 2019
Lyra McKee, a 29-year-old journalist from Belfast, died after being hit by a bullet while standing close to police vehicles and observing rioting in the Creggan area of Derry/Londonderry.
The Guardian
18 April 2019
AP reported that McKee was standing near law enforcement officers and observing an anti-police riot in Londonderry, also known as Derry, when she was shot.
AP
2019, after the shooting
The Guardian reported that the New IRA claimed responsibility for McKee’s killing.
The Guardian
May 2024
The trial of Jordan Devine, Paul McIntyre and Peter Cavanagh opened at Belfast Crown Court before Mrs Justice Smyth, sitting without a jury.
The Guardian
During trial proceedings
Prosecutors told the court that none of the three defendants fired the fatal shot, but alleged they were engaged in a joint enterprise to encourage and assist the gunman; those allegations were unproven.
The Guardian
During trial proceedings
The defence said much of the prosecution case was based on “pure speculation,” according to The Guardian.
The Guardian
3 July 2026
Jordan Devine, Paul McIntyre and Peter Cavanagh were found not guilty of murdering Lyra McKee at Belfast Crown Court.
The Guardian
3 July 2026
AP reported that Justice Patricia Smyth said the circumstantial evidence was insufficient for a conviction after a nonjury trial held intermittently over the previous two years in Belfast Crown Court.
AP
3 July 2026
The Guardian reported that McKee’s sister Nichola Corner said outside court that the verdict meant the justice system had “completely failed” Lyra McKee, her family and Northern Ireland.
The Guardian
Open questionsunconfirmed · not conclusions
Who fired the fatal shot?unconfirmed; The Guardian reported the judge said the gunman had not been brought to court · unconfirmed
Will police or prosecutors pursue further proceedings after the acquittals?unconfirmed in the trusted sources reviewed · unconfirmed
What further evidence, if any, may become available from witnesses to the 18 April 2019 unrest?unconfirmed; The Guardian reported the family appealed for an end to a “culture of silence” · unconfirmed
Whether any person will ever be convicted of murder in McKee’s killing remains unresolved.unconfirmed; AP and The Guardian reported the July 2026 murder acquittals · unconfirmed
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