A jury at the Central Criminal Court has convicted Ruth Lawrence of murdering Anthony Keegan and Eoin O'Connor between April and May 2014. Justice Tony Hunt handed down two concurrent life sentences on Monday, backdated to October 2022. Lawrence, originally from Dublin with a Co Meath address, was found to have acted in concert with her boyfriend, South African national Neville van der Westhuizen, in both killings. The jury accepted that Lawrence shot Mr O'Connor at their home after luring him there, and was equally culpable for Mr Keegan's death. The men's bodies were discovered bound on a lake island in the midlands after five weeks missing. Lawrence fled to South Africa following the murders and was extradited to Ireland in May 2023. During sentencing, the victims' families delivered impact statements detailing the trauma inflicted, with particular reference to Lawrence's apparent lack of remorse and her decade evading justice.
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Original report plus public source leads and related archive reports used for review context.
Public source leads
- Double murderer Ruth Lawrence used email address ‘ruthofallevil’ as she receives two life sentences - Irish Independent Irish Independent · Mon, 08 Dec 2025 08:00:00 GMT
- Ruth Lawrence sentenced to life for murders of two men - RTE.ie RTE.ie · Mon, 08 Dec 2025 08:00:00 GMT
- Ruth Lawrence found guilty of murders of two men in 2014 - RTE.ie RTE.ie · Thu, 13 Nov 2025 08:00:00 GMT
- How Ruth Lawrence became a double murderer - RTE.ie RTE.ie · Wed, 12 Nov 2025 08:00:00 GMT
- Two murder victims were both shot in head, court told - RTE.ie RTE.ie · Thu, 09 Oct 2025 07:00:00 GMT
- How Ruth Lawrence became a double murderer - The Journal The Journal · Wed, 12 Nov 2025 08:00:00 GMT
- Witness says he is 'terrified' of Ruth Lawrence, who he said carried around 'a little black gun' - BreakingNews.ie BreakingNews.ie · Thu, 23 Oct 2025 07:00:00 GMT
- Ruth Lawrence trial hears a fire was burning at couple's house day after men last seen alive - BreakingNews.ie BreakingNews.ie · Fri, 24 Oct 2025 07:00:00 GMT
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