Ruth Lawrence sentenced to life for murders of two men

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Ruth Lawrence was sentenced on 8 December 2025 to life imprisonment for each of the murders of Anthony Keegan and Eoin O’Connor. Mr Justice Tony Hunt directed that the sentences run concurrently.

Lawrence had pleaded not guilty to murdering the two men at an unknown location within the State between 22 April and 26 May 2014. A Central Criminal Court jury found her guilty of murdering Eoin O’Connor by an 11–1 majority and Anthony Keegan by a 10–2 majority, after deliberating for approximately 14 hours. The verdicts were reported on 12 November 2025.

Mr Justice Hunt said the victims’ families now had the outcome and vindication they desired, and thanked them for giving victim impact statements. Lawrence has no previous convictions.

Neville van der Westhuizen, who was convicted in South Africa in 2020 and is serving a 15-year sentence there, is the subject of an application to extradite him to Ireland. The court heard that the application is adjourned until his South African sentence is complete, but the extradition case may become live again if he receives parole earlier.