POLICE BELIEVE a married couple who were shot dead at their home in Craigavon, Co Armagh, knew their killer or killers. They hope CCTV footage may help in tracking down those responsible.
Well-known crime figure Hugh McGeough (56) and his wife Jacqueline (44) were gunned down at their house at Legahory Court at about 11am on Monday, the PSNI suspects.
Their son Martin, who became concerned when his parents did not answer telephone calls, discovered their bodies at teatime on Monday. Police noted telephone calls to the home were not answered after 11am.
They were in a downstairs room when they were shot. The McGeoughs may have allowed their killer or killers into their home without any significant concern for their own safety. There was no evidence of a struggle. It was clear McGeough, a known major drug dealer, felt under threat as his home was fitted with security lights and cameras, as well as bulletproof glass and reinforced doors.
The home is only a few hundred yards from a PSNI station. The strengthened glass and doors may have dampened the sound of the shots being fired, or else a silencer may have been used.
Police said yesterday they did not yet have a motivation for the murders, although there is speculation that the killings may follow on from a drug-linked gang feud. There has been at least one other serious threat to McGeough’s life from rival drug dealers in the Craigavon area.
In 2004, McGeough was sentenced to nine years in prison in connection with the killing of 19-year-old Peter McNally, also in Craigavon, in 2001.
Det Chief Insp Richard Harkness said the McGeoughs spent the weekend staying at a hotel in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, returning on Sunday afternoon.
They were visited late on Sunday evening and were “alive and well” up until 11am on Monday, said Chief Insp Harkness. “It is my belief that they were murdered at around 11am. I have reason to believe they may have known the person or persons who have murdered them,” he added.
The senior investigating officer hoped there would not be any escalation of violence in the area following the killings. There would be a heightened police presence in Legahory in the coming days, he added. He said there had been a lot of speculation, which had not been helpful to the inquiry.
“What we need are facts and assistance from the local community. Someone’s past is no justification for this kind of execution.”
Detectives will be checking footage from a number of CCTV cameras in the area, including the cameras on the local PSNI station.