Three men who called themselves the "Three Musketeers" were convicted at Chelmsford Crown Court on Tuesday for their roles in the killing of a dog walker who was chased through an Essex village and stabbed in the back.
Zack O'Keeffe, 20, was found guilty of murder, while Harrison Carpenter, 20, and Joseph Dawe, 20, were convicted of manslaughter over the death of 30-year-old Kieran Shepherd. The attack took place in Great Baddow on October 15, 2024.
Prosecutors told jurors that CCTV caught the three men ambushing and chasing Mr. Shepherd through the village at about 12:24 p.m. The prosecution said Mr. Shepherd was stabbed twice in the back with a blade about 30cm (12 inches) long, producing a wound 13 to 15cm in length that penetrated his left lung and entered and exited his heart. A cleaner working nearby, identified in court as Holly Duffett, found Mr. Shepherd six minutes after the chase and called emergency services; he was later pronounced dead at the scene at 1:22 p.m.
Tracy Ayling KC, prosecuting, accepted that only one person may have delivered the fatal blows but urged the jury to find all three men liable under joint enterprise, saying they acted together in a joint attack. The prosecution presented a timeline built from CCTV and witness statements showing the men running after Mr. Shepherd moments before he was fatally wounded and the vehicle the defendants used moving across Essex shortly afterwards.
In his evidence, O'Keeffe told the court he panicked and said he "couldn't believe what [he] had just done," claiming he had acted in self‑defence. He told the court that he had previously dealt cocaine to the victim and that on an earlier meeting in an alleyway the victim had produced a knife. O'Keeffe said he believed Mr. Shepherd had reached for a knife during the fatal encounter and that he swung a knife in response but "didn't think" he had made contact.
O'Keeffe also told jurors that Mr. Shepherd's dog had been aggressive and was "snarling and barking," and that he feared the animal might bite. He said he ran after noticing blood and was too scared to call the police. The defence account contradicted witness statements and other evidence presented by prosecutors, who argued the three men deliberately set upon Mr. Shepherd.
The court heard evidence from Carpenter's girlfriend, Olivia McElvaney, who said she had been with the defendants on the day and described them as friends who called themselves "The Three Musketeers." Prosecutors read statements in which McElvaney said she saw blood on Carpenter's jeans and saw a knife moved from the front to the back of the vehicle. She told police the defendants later said they were present when Mr. Shepherd was stabbed and that O'Keeffe had stabbed him twice in the back.
Prosecutors told jurors that, after the killing, the men entered woods in Stock and burned clothing and then travelled to a caravan in Clacton-on-Sea overnight. Carpenter surrendered to police on October 16. O'Keeffe and Dawe fled and were arrested two days later in Seifton, Shropshire, on October 18.
Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Lydia George said the verdicts were the result of nearly a year's work by Essex Police and the Crown Prosecution Service. She said the defendants showed no remorse, gave no‑comment interviews when arrested, and attempted to destroy evidence and evade officers. "It didn't work — our officers and the Crown Prosecution Service showed they were the only ones that could have attacked Kieran, and that none of them tried to stop the attack," she said, noting the investigation relied on detailed CCTV timelines and dozens of witness statements, including from those who tried to save the victim.
Mr. Shepherd's family issued statements after the verdicts. His mother, Julie, described the past ten months as "horrific" and thanked police and prosecutors for bringing the defendants to justice, asking for privacy to grieve. His father said the family had endured an "incredibly painful journey" seeking justice and expressed gratitude that his son's life and worth had been acknowledged in court.
Sentencing for the three men is scheduled for next month. The court proceedings revealed contested accounts of what preceded the attack, and jurors were asked to weigh the CCTV, witness testimony and the defendants' own statements in reaching their verdicts.