A man has been told he must serve a minimum of 21 years in prison for the murder of Roy Reynolds, whose body was dumped in a reservoir in Co Antrim in 2022.
Michael Campbell (34), whose address was given as Maghaberry prison, admitted the murder as well as a second charge of attempting to prevent the burial of a body.
A judge at Belfast Crown Court said the murder of Mr Reynolds was “brutal in the extreme, relentless and merciless”.
A second man, Robert Fulton (70), of Brickhill Park, Newtownabbey, was given a sentence of two years and four months for assisting in the disposal of a body.
Mr Reynolds, who was 54, was beaten and stabbed at a flat in Rathcoole in March 2022. The court heard he had suffered more than 100 injuries.
His body was placed in the boot of a car and taken to North Woodburn Reservoir, near Carrickfergus, where it was later discovered in shallow water.
Setting out the background to the case, Mr Justice O’Hara said Mr Reynolds had gone to Campbell’s flat on the evening of March 27th, 2022, for drinks.
The next morning a neighbour phoned police to say he had seen Campbell dragging a naked body to a silver car and putting it into the boot. The car was owned by Fulton.
When police stopped the car in Newtownabbey, Campbell, who was in the vehicle with Fulton, had blood on his face.
The judge said officers later received a call to say Mr Reynolds’ body had been found in the reservoir.
When police recovered the body, it was naked from the waist up and Mr Reynolds’ trousers and underwear had been pulled down to his ankles.
Mr Justice O’Hara said it was evident that Mr Reynolds had been murdered in Campbell’s flat where police had discovered substantial blood staining.
He said a post-mortem examination showed Mr Reynolds had suffered more than 100 injuries, including injuries consistent with the use of a knife, punches and blows from another weapon.
The judge said the severity of the injuries indicated the victim was dead before he was placed in the water.
During police interviews, Campbell gave differing accounts of what had happened, but the judge said Fulton’s version of events had been accepted by police as being close to the truth.
Referring to victim impact statements he had received from Mr Reynolds’ family, the judge said “It is clear from them how much he is loved and missed by his family and friends.
“The shock of his murder, especially the brutality of it, has made all of their lives so much harder than before.
“A major extra element of distress and grief has been caused by the way in which Mr Reynolds’ body was treated.
“It is one thing to lose a family member to murder, it is worse again, a lot worse, when the body is taken in the boot of a car and dumped in water.”
Sentencing the two men, Mr Justice O’Hara said: “Campbell’s murder of Mr Reynolds was brutal in the extreme, relentless and merciless.
“It was made worse, many times worse, by what was done by Campbell to Mr Reynolds’ body after he was killed.”
He said Campbell must serve at least 21 years before he can be considered for release.
The judge said Fulton could be treated differently because he was not involved in the murder and had shown remorse.
He was given a total sentence of two years and four months but the judge said that, due to time already served, Fulton will not be required to return to prison.
