THIS is the horrific moment a gang chased down a dogwalker before they stabbed him to death.
Kieran Shepherd, 30, died after he was brutally attacked while walking his dog in Great Baddow, near Chelmsford, Essex, on October 15 last year.
Essex PoliceKieran Shepherd, 30, died after being stabbed in the back[/caption]
Essex PoliceHorrifying footage shows the gang members appearing to threaten Kieran before chasing him[/caption]
Essex PoliceThe dogwalker was hunted down and suffered fatal stab wounds to his back[/caption]
The 30-year-old was attacked in Meadgate Avenue, being chased by Zack O’Keefe, 20, who then stabbed Kieran in the back, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.
O’Keefe has now been convicted of murder while his partners Harrison Carpenter, 20, and Joseph Dawe, 20, have been convicted of manslaughter.
Horrifying footage shows the trio roaming the streets of the town while Kieran peacefully walks his dog.
Then, as Kieran walks past a small parking area, the gang appear to engage with him verbally.
A concerned Kieran then begins to move away, appearing visibly scared, before he’s then seen running from the thugs.
Dawe leads the chase while O’Keefe and Carpenter are in quick tow behind.
Terrified, Kieran and his dog flee across a patch of grass before running across the street.
Tragically, Kieran was eventually hunted down and fatally stabbed in the back.
Cops traced the movements of the criminals across the country, eventually arresting and charging them in the days following the attack.
Essex Police said the trio burned clothing in a wooded area in Stock, around 5 miles south of the murder site, shortly after killing Kieran.
They then cowardly hid at a holiday park in Jaywick on the coast overnight, almost 30 miles away from Great Baddow.
Carpenter went on to hand himself into police the following day while Dawe and O’Keefe fled across the country.
They were eventually arrested in Seifton, Shropshire, on October 18, three days after Kieran’s death.
All three denied murder but after a four-week trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, and almost ten hours of deliberation, the jury found O’Keefe guilty of murder and Carpenter and Dawe guilty of manslaughter.
Essex PoliceKieran had been walking his dog when he was brutally attacked by the trio[/caption]
Essex PoliceZack O’Keefe, 20, has been found guilty of murdering Kieran[/caption]
Essex PoliceKieran’s family have praised police and the courts for ‘bringing justice for our beloved son’[/caption]
The trio have been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on October 23.
Following the verdicts, Kieran’s mum Julie said: “As a family it has been a horrific ten months which we will have to live with forever.
“We cannot thank Essex Police and the Crown Prosecution Service enough, they have worked so hard to bring my sons killers to justice.
“We would like our privacy as a family to grieve for our precious Kieran.”
Kieran’s dad also praised police and the CPS for “their hard work” as well as for witnesses who “found the strength to come forward.
He said: “We have endured an incredibly painful journey seeking justice for our beloved son.
“While no verdict can ever bring him back, we are grateful that his life, his story, and his worth were acknowledged in this courtroom.
“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.”
‘NOTHING WILL FILL THE VOID IN THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO LOVED KIERAN’
Senior investigating officer, Detective Inspector Lydia George, said: “This is the culmination of nearly a year’s work to get justice for Kieran.
“These three men showed no remorse, and all provided no-comment interviews when arrested.
“They deliberately destroyed evidence and evaded our officers.
“It didn’t work – our officers and the Crown Prosecution Service showed they were the only ones that could have attacked Kieran, and that none of them tried to stop the attack.”
DI George also explained that “dozens” of witness statements were taken from members of the public, including those who “desperately tried to save his life”.
She added: “A detailed CCTV timeline showed them chasing Kieran moments before he was killed and the car they were travelling in as it made its way across Essex.
“Throughout this investigation and court case, Kieran’s family have conducted themselves with incredible dignity in the face of the terrible details they have heard.
“We await their sentencing next month. While nothing can be passed down to them that will fill the void in the lives of those that loved Kieran, we hope it goes some way to helping his family come to terms with their loss.”
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