Three men who were charged in connection with the murder of Lyra McKee were found not guilty by a judge in Northern Ireland. The verdict came more than seven years after the LGBTQ+ journalist was fatally shot during unrest in Derry in 2019.

Lyra McKee was a prominent journalist in Northern Ireland who committed her work life to exploring the consequences of the Troubles, seeking justice for crimes that had been forgotten since the Good Friday Agreement.

The 29-year-old was tragically shot and killed while covering a violent riot that broke out in the Creggan area of Derry on April 18, 2019. McKee was reportedly struck by a bullet fired towards police.

Following the killing, the paramilitary group New IRA claimed responsibility for the shooting, describing McKee’s death as accidental. In a statement released to Irish News, they said the journalist had been “tragically killed while standing beside enemy forces”.

While the gunman had never been publicly identified, three other men were charged in relation to the murder. Prosecutors alleged that then 25-year-old Jordan Devine, 58-year-old Paul McIntyre and 38-year-old Peter Cavanagh had assisted the gunman during the unrest. The three men denied the charges.

The ruling on the case came over seven years after the murder and followed a lengthy non-jury trial that heard evidence over several months. On July 3, Judge Mrs Justice Smyth found the three men not guilty of McKee’s murder due to insufficient evidence, which was seen as wholly circumstantial.

While describing McKee’s killing as “an act of senseless violence”, the judge stated: “The evidence against those accused of assisting or encouraging has fallen short of that required for conviction.”

Speaking to reporters outside the court, Nichola Corner, McKee’s sister, said that the justice system had “completely failed Lyra and has failed our family and has failed Northern Ireland”.

She also spoke out against what she defined as a “culture of silence”, saying that although around 150 people had witnessed the shooting, nobody came forward to provide enough evidence to secure convictions.

Expressing solidarity with McKee’s family, the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said in a statement: “On a day like this, we are reminded of what we have lost.

“Lyra was a shining star with so much to offer. As this chapter closes we continue to mourn Lyra but will also take time to celebrate her remarkable contribution to journalism.”