Keane Mulready-Woods, 17, was kidnapped, tortured and dismembered in a brutal gangland murder in Drogheda in 2020, and left a haunting final message for his mother before his death. The teenager, caught up in a drugs feud in the town, was lured to a house on January 12 where he was tortured and beheaded.
Final Call to His Mother
Before he disappeared, Keane telephoned his mother, telling her he would be home late and asking her to leave money out for a taxi. Keane, who had been recruited as a drugs runner for a local gang, was under a curfew to return home before nightfall and had reportedly been adhering to the conditions, according to the Irish Independent.
His limbs were thrown from a moving vehicle in a sports bag onto a pavement in the town of Moatview. His head, hands and feet were subsequently found in a burnt-out car in Dublin.
Revenge Attacks and the Prime Suspect
Keane's killing sparked a wave of revenge attacks — ultimately culminating in the murder of prime suspect Robbie Lawlor, who was shot dead while collecting a drug debt. Lawlor allegedly murdered Keane as he believed the teenager was implicated in the killing of his brother-in-law Richie Carberry at his home in November 2019.
Gardaí suspect Lawlor escalated to torturing the teenager, having initially claimed he would merely carry out a "punishment beating" over a minor drug debt. A source disclosed to the Irish Sun: "Lawlor was obsessed with Mulready-Woods and was determined to take his life because he was convinced he played a major role in Carberry's death."
Lawlor's Criminal History and Death
The 36-year-old had been linked to several murders and had amassed hundreds of criminal convictions before he was shot dead. In December, he walked free from court after being acquitted of attempting to murder the mother of his ex-girlfriend's new partner.
Just weeks after being cleared of attempted murder and released from court, he was ambushed outside a gym by a man connected to one of his alleged murder victims. Lawlor's gym bag was taken and his rivals posted photographs of themselves wearing his flip-flops. It is widely believed that Keane was present during the assault - and a furious Lawlor reportedly sought retribution. One of the images shared following Keane's death bore the chilling caption: "Won't be robbing a man's flip-flops again."
Sentences and Victim Impact Statement
In February 2023, local criminal Paul Crosby was handed a 10-year prison term for his role in facilitating the murder of Keane, while his co-accused Gerard "Rocky" Cruise was given a seven-year sentence. A third person, Gerard 'Ged' McKenna, admitted to clearing up and disposing of evidence from the location.
In a heartbreaking victim impact statement delivered on behalf of Keane's grief-stricken mother Elizabeth, she said: "No one could imagine the darkness and sadistic evil in our country I can hear him calling 'Mam, Mam' - and the haunting nightmares live forever with us. To lose my child, my son, my baby in a most inhumane, barbaric death is shocking," adding that a part of her perished as well. "I couldn't protect him."
