Courts / Dublin / Report

'Ruth of all evil': double murderer Lawrence gets two life terms

Summary

Ruth Lawrence, a 46-year-old defendant, was sentenced to two mandatory terms of life imprisonment for the murders of Anthony Keegan and Eoin O'Connor. The Central Criminal Court jury had previously found that Lawrence and her boyfriend, Neville van der Westhuizen, acted as a unit to lure O'Connor to their home, where he was shot. The panel also accepted that Keegan was shot by van der Westhuizen and that Lawrence was equally liable for the outcome under joint enterprise. Lawrence had pleaded not guilty to both counts of murder, which occurred between April 22 and May 26, 2014. Justice Tony Hunt handed down the concurrent sentences, backdating them to October 4, 2022, when Lawrence entered custody. The court heard four victim impact statements detailing the trauma suffered by the families, who noted Lawrence's lack of remorse and her decade-long flight to South Africa, where she changed her name and appearance. Van der Westhuizen is currently serving a 15-year sentence in South Africa for separate offenses, with an application to return him to Ireland for trial to be considered upon his release. The judge acknowledged the vindication for the families after a lengthy legal process.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: 'Ruth of all evil': double murderer Lawrence gets two life terms. Procedural stage: sentence

When:

• October 4 2022 Hearing Or Sentence
• November 12 Hearing Or Sentence
• April 22, 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
• May 26, 2014 Hearing Or Sentence
• May 2023 Hearing Or Sentence
• October 2016 Incident
• May 24, 2023 Incident
• October 4, 2022 Incident
• Christmas Other
• 2025-12-08 Publication

Why: Mr O'Connor's youngest daughter, who cannot be named because she is underage, said she was five years old when her father died. CNI source report

Case subjects

Places mentioned

Topics

Stage Sentence Violent Crime

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Read the original CNI report