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Public Prosecution Service Assistant Director, Lynne Carlin, said: “Stephen McKinney carefully planned and carried out his wife Lu Na’s murder on the first night of a family boating trip in Fermanagh in April 2017.
“He lied to police repeatedly, concocting a story that Lu Na had slipped and fallen into the water after she had gone out to check the mooring ropes were secure.
“The prosecution team worked closely with the PSNI to pull together the various strands of circumstantial evidence and present a robust case at trial. This evidence included his two 999 calls to the emergency services, his differing accounts to police, neighbours and friends about what had happened and expert evidence on conditions in the lough that night.
“Taken as a whole, the evidence enabled us to build the strongest possible prosecution case against McKinney, which resulted in the jury finding him guilty of murder.
“Every murder causes great distress and pain. This case, in which McKinney murdered his wife as their two young children slept aboard the boat, is particularly disturbing.
“Today our thoughts are with Lu Na’s family, particularly her two children. While nothing will bring Lu Na back, I hope that this guilty verdict will bring some comfort to them as they continue to try and cope with this devastating loss.”
Notes to editors
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