Three men have been found not guilty of murdering journalist Lyra McKee, who was shot and killed in April 2019 while observing riots in Londonderry. Paul McIntyre, 58, Peter Cavanagh, 38, and Jordan Gareth Devine, 25, were acquitted in a non-jury trial at Belfast Crown Court.
Mckee, 29, died after being struck by a bullet as she stood near police vehicles during disturbances in the Creggan area. The events unfolded as petrol bombs were thrown at police and a car was set ablaze, leading to four shots being fired towards officers. The New IRA later claimed responsibility for her death.
The rioting was reportedly a response by dissident republicans to police searches of homes, occurring during the Easter period which commemorates the 1916 Rising. A television crew, including presenter Reggie Yates, had been filming with the republican organization Saoradh in the area for a documentary prior to the shooting.
The trial heard that the shots were fired by a masked individual. Following the gunfire, McKee was transported to a hospital in a police vehicle but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Her death drew widespread condemnation and increased pressure on politicians to resume talks aimed at restoring the then-suspended power-sharing government at Stormont.
Mourners at McKee's funeral included former Irish president Michael D Higgins, then-Prime Minister Theresa May, and former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. Originally from Belfast, McKee had recently relocated to Londonderry with her partner, Sara Canning. In the hours before her death, she had posted on social media about the "absolute madness" in the city. Mckee gained prominence in 2014 with a blog post titled 'Letter to my 14-year-old self,' detailing her experiences as a gay youth in Belfast. This letter was adapted into a short film, and she became a published author with a two-book deal from Faber & Faber. She was recognized by Forbes Magazine in 2016 as one of its '30 under 30 in media.'
Her book, 'Angels With Blue Faces,' focusing on a cold case murder from the Troubles era, was due to be published weeks after her death. She also worked as an editor for Mediagazer, a trade publication covering the media industry. The National Union of Journalists regarded her as one of Northern Ireland's most promising journalists and a hero within the LGBT community. The public outcry over her killing contributed to political momentum to break a two-year deadlock at Stormont, leading to political talks in 2019. Her sister, Nichola Corner, speaking at the funeral, urged the creation of a society where "labels are meaningless" and "every single person is valued."