The court said the shooting bore “all the hallmarks of an execution” –

A “weak” Liberian man was shot at close range with a rifle in the chest during the murder, which had “all hallmarks of completeness,” the court heard today (Wednesday).

As Paul Smith’s relatives sat on the public balcony of Belfast Crown Court, Crown’s attorney said Mr Smith was killed while sitting in his living room on June 19, 2019, June 19, 2019.

Three men went to court for a hearing, while a fourth did not appear due to Covid.

The four have confessed to the murder of 50-year-old Mr Smith and the second shooting at a home in Lisburn the same month and will later serve their sentences.

James Andrew Thomas McQuay, 36, turned Magberry, pleaded guilty to the murder of Mr. Smith and possession of a life-threatening firearm between 17 and 22 June 2019.

He also admitted on June 25, 2019 that he possessed a gun and ammunition, which were in suspicious circumstances.

James Holmes of Lowmont Lresmount Crescent pleaded guilty on June 25, 2019, to possession of a gun and ammunition in suspicious circumstances, and to two counts of attempted murder on June 23, 2019.

These crimes refer to a morning gun attack on a house on Mile Street in which a five-year-old boy was sleeping.

James Robert Stewart, 32, also of Maghaberry, pleaded guilty to two firearms-related charges, while Ryan Mark Meyer, 39, of Salia Avenue in Carrickfergus, pleaded guilty to abetting or aiding and abetting the offender.

During a lengthy trial, Crown attorney Neil Connor QC revealed details of the murder.

He said that on Sunday, June 15, 2019, Meygar had visited Mr. Smith to buy drugs, and after that visit, Meyer had shown McCoy that the money and drugs could be obtained easily at Mr. Smith’s home.

On June 18, Megary left her tanning salon in Lisburn, took McQuay and pointed out the disputed ownership.

Prosecutors said CCTV footage showed McQuay “walking out” in Lisburn in the early hours of June 19, and that an analysis of the mobile phone’s location confirmed he was on Coulson Street before his phone was switched off.

Revealing that Mr Smith had been living alone on the property, Mr Connor described him as a “weak man” who had health problems and rarely left the house.

On June 21, a friend he was trying to call called his house and found his lifeless body on a chair.

His shirt was covered in blood and an ambulance arrived at the scene after sounding the alarm.

It was later determined that Mr. Smith’s death had been caused by a gunshot wound to the chest “a few meters away”.

Although McVeigh later ruled that he would not shoot Mr. Smith, but that the gun was fired when Mr. Smith took his gun, Mr. Connor said the killing “had all the hallmarks of the death penalty.”

He said the crown case was that McVeigh dumped Mr. Smith and stole the money he used for his sportswear later that day.

Connor said the statements by Mr Smith’s sister, nephew and cousin Victim Impact “have a say in how his death had a devastating and long-lasting impact on the extended family”.

In connection with the Mill Street shooting, Mr. Connor said the couple woke up to two men in the street at dawn on June 23 and a shot was fired at their bedroom window, causing their bedroom window to break.

After a police investigation, the four men were arrested and charged with various charges relating to both murder and a second assault with a firearm, which they initially denied.

At one point in the trial, Judge Colton expressed concern about the behavior of McCoy and Holmes, who appeared next to each other via Magber’s video, laughing and joking and apparently not listening to the trial.

“I don’t know if they know the court can see them and they have full respect for not only the court but also the victims who are,” said the chief justice.

Lawyers for all four men appealed to Judge Colton, who said “many cases must be considered” before sentencing.

He concluded, “I will serve my sentence as soon as possible.”