Skye ‘shooting’ trial: Wife’s horror as hubby ‘gunned down at breakfast by her brother’
A WOMAN told a murder trial how she and her son desperately tried to save the life of her husband after he was allegedly gunned down at breakfast by her brother.
Lyn-Anne MacKinnon, 45, described to jurors the moment she heard “bangs” before discovering hubby John fatally wounded in the couple’s kitchen at their home on Skye.
Lyn-Anne’s brother Finlay MacDonald is on trial accused of murdering John, 47, on August 10, 2022.
He is also accused of attempting to kill his wife Rowena, 34, on the same day and allegedly shooting his chiropractor and his wife.
Mum-of-six Lyn-Anne’s evidence was shown to jurors at the High Court in Edinburgh via a recording she had earlier given to prosecutors.
She said: “I was getting stuff out of the car and I heard another car come up the driveway.
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“I glanced out the window and realised it was Finlay’s car but he had told me that he couldn’t drive anymore.
“So I assumed it was Rowena coming to tell me about what was going on with her and my brother as I knew things weren’t right.
“I realised it was Finlay and I looked up and he had a gun at his side.
“I said ‘what do you think you are doing?’.
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“He just walked into the house and took three or four steps then there was a bang.
“He walked past me on the way out of the house. I walked into the kitchen and found John who was still upright and groaning.
“He started to collapse so I caught him and lowered him to the floor.
“I was screaming in horror and the kids all came in. I shouted to one of the kids to go and get Dr Venters who lives down the road.
“My son and I were trying to compress his wounds as there was so much blood.”
Advocate depute Liam Ewing KC asked her what the bangs were that she had heard and she replied: “Shots. I thought I had only heard two, but I believe it was three. I only saw evidence of two wounds.
She was asked by the prosecutor if her brother had said anything.
She replied: “He didn’t say a word.”
Despite the efforts of the doctor and the paramedics John couldn’t be saved.
In her interview Lyn-Anne broke down in tears when asked if paramedics had told her there was nothing they could do to save her husband.
She replied: “Yes, that’s right.”
Scene cop gives evidence
By Thomas Brown
DAY two of the murder trial also heard from police sergeant Ian Carr who was first on the scene at the couple’s home where MacDonald is accused of repeatedly stabbing wife Rowena.
The officer told how he discovered the couple’s youngest baby “crawling” towards him outside the home.
Jurors were told the tot had blood on her knees and Sgt Carr said he picked her up and checked for injuries.
He said: “She was screaming and I picked her up. I then went into the house and found the other kids.
“One of them took me to the kitchen and pointed out a knife on top of the microwave that was covered in blood.”
On the first day of the trial this week, Rowena, 34, told jurors her husband punctured her lungs in an alleged knife murder bid.
She said: “With every breath I took I was squelching blood.”
He denies attempted murder over the alleged attack.
Earlier on the second day of the trial, MacDonald’s wife Rowena told how her husband had threatened to kill an osteopath he claimed had ruined his life by making a back injury worse.
She said the threat was made weeks before her husband allegedly shot and seriously injuried John MacKenzie and his wife Fay.
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MacDonald is accused of attempting to murder the couple at a property in Dornie, Wester Ross.
He denies all the charges and has lodged a special defence to the murder charge claiming he was suffering from abnormality of mind.