Finlay MacDonald: Guilty of killing Skye’s brother-in-law during shooting | UK News

A man who went on a shooting and stabbing spree in the Scottish Highlands has been found guilty of murdering his brother-in-law and attempting to kill three more people.

Warning: This article contains details that readers may find disturbing

Finlay MacDonald, 41, stabbed his wife Rowena MacDonald, 34, multiple times during an attack on their home on the Isle of Skye, leaving her lying covered in her own blood in the driveway in front of their young children.

MacDonald then went to his sister’s house on the other side of the Sleat peninsula, where he fatally shot his brother-in-law, 47-year-old John MacKinnon.

The killer’s sister, Lyn-Anne MacKinnon, 45, told the court her husband’s “innards were coming out” after the attack.

MacDonald then set off for the mainland and the Wester Ross village of Dornie, where he shot married couple Fay and John MacKenzie before being captured.

The events took place on August 10, 2022.

MacDonald denied each of the charges and presented a special defense to the prosecution’s murder charge, claiming that “his ability to determine or control his behavior is greatly impaired by mental abnormality.”

Jurors were told that MacDonald could be convicted of an alternative, lesser charge of manslaughter if the jury believed his diminished responsibility defense.

During MacDonald’s trial in the Supreme Court EdinburghHis wife said the couple’s relationship was “not in a good place” at the time of the incident and that he was planning to move out.

Jurors were told MacDonald confronted his wife in messages on his wife’s phone to her male boss, discussing the end of their marriage and saying “this can’t come soon enough”.

Although Ms MacDonald claimed her colleague was just a friend, MacDonald pulled a knife from his pocket and went on a frenzied attack.

Miss MacDonald told the court: “Both lungs were punctured; I was clearly suppressing blood with every breath I took.”

The couple’s young children helped their mother stay conscious at her home in Tarskavaig until emergency services arrived and airlifted her to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

When eventually questioned by police, MacDonald claimed he had experienced “a moment of madness”.

He said he “didn’t know” what to do when he got into his car with a shotgun, “several hundred” cartridges and a knife, but he started thinking about the grievances he had with his brother-in-law. and osteopath.

She said: “I didn’t start the day with the intention of doing anything other than trying to save my marriage. I didn’t want to do any of it.

“I wasn’t who I normally was. Everything turned crazy.

“Something exploded in my head and I felt like I had turned into someone else.”

An alleged assault at the hands of Mr MacKinnon in 2013 was the beginning of MacDonald’s “troubles”, jurors were told.

Mrs MacKinnon revealed the “argument” between her husband and his brother occurred after MacDonald “angrily” threw a birthday present at her while she was heavily pregnant, which was witnessed by her children.

MacDonald was said to have felt humiliated and had low self-esteem following the incident.

On the day of the shooting, MacDonald arrived at Mr MacKinnon’s home in Teangue, where he was said to have confronted the distillery worker about being “bullied”.

MacDonald claimed his brother-in-law “came towards” him and shot him twice, once in the front and once in the side.

Mrs MacKinnon tried to save her husband’s life after she saw her younger brother enter the family home with a gun before hearing explosions.

MacDonald then went to the home of Mr MacKenzie, an osteopath whom he had previously visited for treatment of a back injury that had caused him to take sick leave from work.

The court heard how MacDonald became obsessed with suing Mr MacKenzie, also known as John Don, over treatment he claimed left him with “chronic pain” and robbed him of his “chance at life”.

MacDonald also told police how his marriage had suffered due to his deteriorating mental and physical health.

The court heard how MacDonald shot Miss MacKenzie through the window of the house.

She fled to the bathroom and her husband joined her before MacDonald arrived.

Ms MacKenzie said: “John shot Don at point blank range and we both fell into the shower area.

“The guy was standing there and I thought, that’s it, we’re going to get killed, but then my husband stood up and pulled the guy’s gun.”

Ms MacKenzie then grabbed a “heavy” metal toilet roll holder and used it to hit MacDonald until police arrived.

The court heard that at the time of the incidents, MacDonald suffered from undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder, a personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and suffered from low mood and anxiety.

Forensic psychologist Lorraine Johnstone told jurors the impairments would not significantly affect MacDonald’s ability to control his actions.

Meanwhile, clinical psychologist Dr. Harry Wood said his behavior was consistent with that of an individual focused on himself and his own agenda and did not display his usual level of empathy.

In closing arguments at the trial, prosecutor Liam Ewing KC argued that MacDonald’s behavior after stabbing his wife showed he was “fully able to control and determine his actions”.

Defense barrister Donald Findlay KC claimed his client’s autism affected his reaction after discovering “flirtatious” messages between his wife and her boss.

Mr Findlay noted: “He was autistic. He couldn’t rationalize it the way other people did.”

He also stated that there was “no evidence of planning” in MacDonald’s actions that day, stating that the jury was given “non-existent” text messages and that none of the shootings would have occurred.

Mr Findlay said MacDonald had “participated in the destruction of his entire world by his own hands” as he stabbed his wife and then set out to attack those he had “pinned” as the “cause of all his problems”. .