Criminal Malcolm McKeown shot dead after being hit with six bullets, murder trial hears

Convicted criminal Malcolm McKeown who was shot dead whilst sitting in his BMW parked at the rear of a service station in Co Armagh was struck by at least six bullets, a court heard on Tuesday. As the Crown opened its case against four men accused of murdering Mr McKeown in August 2019, it emerged that the 54-year was shot at close range outside the garage in Waringstown. A forensic expert who examined the scene in the aftermath of the murder determined that at least 16 cartridges were fired from a minimum of two guns.

The four accused are 29-year old Jake O'Brien from Rectory Road in Lurgan, Andrew Thomas Kenneth Martin (29) from Bridge Street in Banbridge, Stevie Lee Watson (35) from Princeton Avenue in Lurgan and 34-year old Simon Smyth from Hazelgrove Avenue in Lurgan. All four have been jointly charged with, and have denied, murdering Malcolm McKeown on August 19, 2019 and of possessing firearms and ammunition - namely two firearms, and assorted bullets and cartridges - with intent to endanger life on the same date. Opening the Crown's case at Belfast Crown Court, Ciaran Murphy KC revealed that Mr McKeown was released from custody 12 days before his murder. He purchased the silver 5-Series BMW he was shot and killed in the weekend before the fatal gun attack and at the time of his death had been staying with a friend who lived opposite Dewart's garage on Main Street. Mr Murphy told the non-jury hearing: "Mr McKeown would, considering his background, have been wary of being attacked by other criminals. "He had been shot and seriously wounded in the past and he had received warnings from police about being under threat." Mr McKeown was last seen alive at 7.19pm, when he walked out of Dewart's garage and got into his BMW, which was parked at the rear of the petrol station. Less than a minute later, a navy Volkswagen Passat was seen speeding away from the scene and this vehicle was found burned out a short time later in Lurgan. A sales assistant in the garage heard several loud bangs and assumed it was either fireworks or bangers, and when police arrived at the scene shortly after 9pm, Mr McKeown was found slumped over the driver's seat of the BMW. Blood was visible on his head and chest and it immediately appeared that he had been shot. He was removed from the vehicle and despite CPR being performed at the scene, it was apparent he was dead by the time emergency services arrived. A post mortem conducted on August 21, 2019 concluded that death was caused by bullet wounds to the head and trunk and that Mr McKeown has been 'struck by at least six bullets.' In the aftermath of the murder, items recovered from the burned out Passat - which bore false number plates - were forensically examined, as were cartridges located beside Mr McKeown's BMW. Jake O'Brien's DNA was located on a black disposal glove and a boiler suit found near the Passat, and he was also identified as one of two men running into a cul-de-sac close to where the Passat was dumped and set on fire. Andrew Martin was identified as the second man in the footage. Mr Murphy revealed Martin was arrested at Trasna Way in Lurgan on August 24, 2019 on suspicion of murder. Later that day, O'Brien was also arrested. It also emerged that on the days before the murder, Martin had conducted searches about Mr McKeown on his phone and also searched 'the act of killing aftermath.' The prosecuting KC said: "This material evidences a distinct interest in Mr McKeown in the period before his death and is consistent with preparations for the killing." During police interviews, Martin denied any involvement in the murder then made no further comment whilst O'Brien initially did not respond to questions then in a statement said 'I played no part in the planning or execution of Mal McKeown.' Stevie Lee Watson was also arrested in August 2019 and was released without charge. He was arrested again in January 2020, when he was shown CCTV footage of him in the company O'Brien and Martin on the day of the murder. Like his co-accused, he denied any involvement. When Simon Smyth was arrested in January 2020, he was also shown relevant CCTV and questioned about his car - a Volkswagen Passat, which the Crown say is the same car involved in the murder. He too denied involvement. Mr Murphy said it was the Crown's case that all four accused "had a role to play". He added: "It is not a requirement for the prosecution to specify roles, albeit it might be inferred that Martin and O'Brien were directly involved in the shooting at Dewart's garage. It is inconceivable that Watson and Smyth were not heavily involved." In his conclusion, the prosecutor told Mr Justice Fowler that when all the evidence has been presented, it will indicate "all the accused were jointly responsible for the murder of Malcolm McKeown."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.