An Irish tattoo artist who spent nearly eight years living under an assumed name in South Africa has been found guilty of the double murder of two best friends back in her home country.
From Church Volunteer to Murder Suspect
Ruth Lawrence, 45, originally from Clontarf in Dublin, had created a new life for herself in Bloemfontein, the judicial capital of South Africa. With her hair dyed jet black and living in a small bungalow in the relatively upmarket suburb of Pellissier, she must have prayed she would remain undetected.
Few who knew the kind-hearted church volunteer realised she was a fugitive from Irish justice. Lawrence worked under the alias Ruth Lawless in tattoo parlours, possibly due to her lapsed visa, but more likely because of the double murder investigation back in Ireland.
She had been helping run a safe house for human trafficking victims while volunteering with Christian Revival Church pastors in Pretoria and Bloemfontein. Pastor Robert Roger Brazelle testified that Lawrence made "a great contribution as a volunteer" and helped manage facilities supporting about 4,000 people daily through their feeding scheme.
The Brutal 2014 Murders That Sparked an International Manhunt
The life Lawrence led in South Africa contrasted starkly with her past in Ireland. This week, she was convicted of murdering Anthony Keegan, 33, and Eoin O'Connor, 32, at an unknown location in Ireland between April 22 and May 26, 2014.
The court heard how Lawrence fled Ireland shortly after the murders with her South African boyfriend, Neville van der Westhuizen, then 40. The couple first went to the UK before travelling to van der Westhuizen's home country, though they separated a couple of years later.
During the complex trial, key evidence came from Jason Symes and his daughter Stacey, both now in the Irish State witness protection programme. They testified that Lawrence confessed to them about the murders, claiming she had shot O'Connor but it "went wrong," so her partner "took over" and both men were killed.
The prosecution suggested van der Westhuizen had grappled with O'Connor, who was then shot in the head. While the sequence remained unclear, Keegan was more likely killed first when shot in the back of the head.
The Grisly Discovery That Closed the Net
The victims' bodies were discovered several weeks later in a shallow grave on Inchicup Island on Lough Sheelin. Retired butcher Pat Smith described to the court how he was out fishing when he noticed a "dreadful smell coming off the island" that he associated with "rotten flesh."
Gardaí were alerted and a German Shepherd dog trained in locating missing people immediately indicated a spot covered in branches and a tarpaulin. When crime scene officers cut the covering open, an arm with clothing fell out.
At their joint funeral in June 2014, the men were described as "inseparable." Anthony Keegan's sister Margaret remembered how her brother would text calling O'Connor his "other half" and "brother from a different mother."
Eoin O'Connor's brother Ruairi told mourners his sibling had been the "rock" of their family and left behind two beautiful children who would be cared for.
Justice Finally Catches Up Across Continents
Lawrence's days as a fugitive ended in early October 2022 when South Africa's elite police force, The Hawks, swooped on her bungalow in Bloemfontein. She was arrested without resistance and immediately admitted her identity.
Her time in the Bainsvlei Police holding cells clearly affected her profoundly. At her first court appearance, she chose not to apply for bail and said she wanted to be extradited to Ireland, even offering to pay the air fare herself.
South Africa's Department of Justice confirmed: "The minister, Mr Ronald Lamola, has approved extradition. The paperwork has been signed for formal extradition to take place." Lawrence was returned to Ireland in May 2023 to face trial.
Meanwhile, her former partner van der Westhuizen remains in South Africa, where he is serving a 15-year sentence for the culpable homicide, assault and kidnapping of teenager Cody Houghton in 2017. Gardaí have requested his extradition to face murder charges in Ireland once he completes a portion of his current sentence.
The conviction brings closure to a nearly decade-long international manhunt that spanned two continents and saw Lawrence transform from murder suspect to church volunteer before justice finally caught up with her in an upmarket South African suburb.
