Great Baddow murder jurors find drug dealer guilty of attack

A drug dealer has been found guilty of murdering a man who was walking his dog.

Kieran Shepherd, 30, was attacked in Meadgate Avenue in Great Baddow, near Chelmsford in Essex, on 15 October.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard how Zack O’Keefe, 20, of Stafford Green in Langdon Hills, chased after the victim before stabbing him in the back.

Meanwhile, Joseph Dawe, 20, of Greenland Gardens in Great Baddow, and Harrison Carpenter, 20, of Ben Wilson Link in Chelmsford, were found guilty of manslaughter.

CCTV footage captured the three men chasing Mr Shepherd at 12:24 GMT.

Prosecutor Tracy Ayling KC said O’Keefe stabbed him in the back with a blade as long as 30cm (12in).

A woman dialled 999 and described seeing the trio in balaclavas.

“I’m just a bit shaken up, I haven’t seen anything like that,” she said.

Giving evidence, O’Keefe claimed he acted in self-defence, and that he was too “scared” to contact police, instead driving with his co-defendants to Mr Carpenter’s grandmother’s house in nearby Stock.

Police said they burned clothing in a wooded area and then travelled to a Jaywick holiday park where they hid overnight.

He claimed the victim brandished a knife and robbed cocaine from him and Mr Carpenter during a drug deal several weeks before the fatal incident.

Mr Carpenter’s girlfriend said the trio were good friends and called themselves the “three musketeers”.

Carpenter handed himself in to police on 16 October but refused to answer any of the officers’ questions. Dawe and O’Keeffe were located on 18 October.

After nine hours and 43 minutes of deliberation, jurors found O’Keeffe guilty by unanimous verdict.

They found Carpenter and Dawe guilty of manslaughter by a majority of 10 to two.

The trio are due to be sentenced on 23 October.

In a statement released earlier, Mr Shepherd’s mother Julie thanked police and prosecutors and said: “They have worked so hard to bring my sons killers to justice.”

His father also thanked the authorities, and added: “Our family will continue to forever honour his memory and thank all those that have stood with us, offering love and support through this difficult time.”