We have today, Friday 22nd January, welcomed the sentencing of a sixth man to 30 years in prison following the death of Joseph McKeever.
It brings the total to 131 years in prison for those involved in Mr McKeever’s murder in 2017.
The 54 year-old’s body was found in a stolen car which had been set alight on a field in Everton in June 2017. Mr McKeever, who was from the Walton area, had been subjected to an horrific assault and suffered significant trauma prior to his death.
Following an investigation six men were eventually charged in connection with Mr McKeever’s death.
The final defendant – 43 year-old Lee Knox (MAIN PICTURE) – was arrested in Belfast in April last year. He was today found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court of Mr McKeever’s murder and false imprisonment and was jailed for 30 years for the murder and a further 12 months, to run concurrently, for the false imprisonment.
In February 2018:
Jamie Grimes, 25, of Breckside Park, Anfield, (PICTURED BELOW) was found guilty of murder and false imprisonment and was sentenced to 27 years in prison.
Karl Kelly, 35, of Snaefell Avenue, Old Swan, (PICTURED BELOW) was found guilty of manslaughter and false imprisonment and was jailed for 22 years
Darren Colecozy, 26, of no fixed abode, (PICTURED BELOW) was also found guilty of manslaughter and false imprisonment was jailed for 22 years
Dylan Owen, 26, of Paul McCartney Way, Kensington, (PICTURED BELOW) was found guilty of assisting an offender and was jailed for six years
In January 2019:
Anthony Wales, 39, of no fixed abode but originally from the Everton area, (PICTURED BELOW) pleaded guilty to murder and false imprisonment and was jailed for 24 years.
Detective Superintendent Richie Salter said: “It is now three and a half years since Joseph McKeever’s brutal murder and it has been a long and complex investigation for his loved ones to have to deal with.
“With the sentencing of Lee Knox today I hope this can now give his family a sense of closure and allow them to move on with their lives and finally grieve properly for their loss.
“This was a particularly horrific case. Mr McKeever suffered a sustained and brutal assault at the hands of these men who have shown no remorse for their actions.
“Bringing the men responsible for his death to justice has taken a considerable amount of time and effort by a team of dedicated officers and I would like to thank them, and the Crown Prosecution Service, particularly prosecuting counsel Ian Unsworth QC, Anya Horwood and Tim Storrie QC, for their painstaking work on this case.
“I would also like to pay tribute to Mr McKeever’s family for their dignity and for their patience as we thoroughly investigated this case to ensure that justice could finally be served.”
