THE family of a murdered dad have told of their horror at him being killed by a childhood pal who considered himself a “cousin”.
Relatives of Chris McMahon, 31, found it “unbelievable” that Stephen Kelly stabbed him in the neck and chest with an 18-inch hunting knife.
Chris McMahon, left, was killed by lifelong pal Stephen Kelly
Deranged Stephen Kelly boasted on social media “I’ll do time” before killing his pal
Chris’s mother Margaret and sister Kirsty say no sentence would ever be long enough
He also hit Chris on the head with a bottle, stamped on him and poured bleach into his mouth during a “sustained” 20-minute attack.
Chris’s devastated mum, Margaret, 69, said: “Never in a million years did I think Stephen would have done this to Chris.
“He would come to our house all the time. He was always here having his dinner as a wee boy.”
Kelly claimed he killed Chris in the dad-of-two’s home in Carluke, Lanarkshire, because he was being “bullied” by him.
But the dead man’s older brother John, 37, said: “He’s a coward. He’s hit Chris with a bottle to knock him out, then sat on top of him and stabbed him, then poured the bleach.
“That’s not someone who has snapped because they were bullied. He’s a cold-blooded killer.”
Sister Kirsty, 41, said: “There’s two little kids here who will never see their daddy again.”
Mum Margaret told how Kelly’s mother knocked on her door after the brute called her, topless and covered in blood, to tell her what he had done.
She said: “She told me, ‘You better call for help’.
“After I found out I couldn’t believe she hadn’t told me what happened. But then, maybe she couldn’t say it.”
Kelly, of Carluke, was caged for 22 years at the High Court in Kilmarnock on May 28.
Following the sentence Chris’ parents Margaret, 69, and John 76, along with siblings Kirsty, 41 and John, 37, said they were relieved Kelly had been given life.
Kirsty added: “It’s been an agonising 19 months for our family, and justice has finally been served. But no sentence would ever be long enough because Chris is never coming back.”
Chris was devoted to his two children Lucy and Chris
The dad was enthusiastic about motorbikes and cars Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
