Three men accused of murdering Irish journalist Lyra McKee during riots in Londonderry in 2019 were acquitted on Friday after one of the longest non-jury trials in recent Northern Ireland history, leaving their family devastated.According to the BBC, prosecutors had alleged that 38-year-old Peter Cavanagh, 25-year-old Jordan Gareth Devine and 58-year-old Paul McIntyre worked with, encouraged or aided the gunman who fatally shot McKee, although none of them were charged with firing the fatal shot.The defense argued that the prosecution’s case was largely based on speculation.McKee, 29, was shot by a bullet on April 18, 2019, as he stood near police vehicles and watched a clash in the Creggan area of Londonderry.The dissident republican group New IRA later claimed responsibility for the murder, but the gunman was never identified or prosecuted.The prosecution’s case was based on extensive video, mobile phone and forensic evidence, including footage filmed by an MTV documentary crew who had been recording in the area earlier that evening.Prosecutors argued that the presence of the crew was deliberately instigated by dissident Republicans, although filming had ended before shooting could occur.Delivering sentence at Belfast Crown Court, Mrs Justice Smith acknowledged that the outcome would bring “little, if any, comfort” to McKee’s family and described his murder as “an act of senseless violence”. He also said the man who fired the fatal shot never faced justice.Outside court, McKee’s sister, Nicola Corner, said the verdict was a “complete shock” and accused the justice system of failing both her family and Northern Ireland.“The system has completely failed Lyra, our family and Northern Ireland,” he said, adding that the family’s fight for justice is far from over. “We will leave no stone unturned. This is not over. Lyra said if you’re gonna go down, go down fighting, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”Corner also criticized what he described as a “culture of silence”, saying that more than 150 people witnessed the events that night, but no one came forward with significant information.The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) defended its decision to bring the case, saying that the legal threshold for prosecution had been reached and that the trial had successfully overcome a number of legal challenges. However, it was acknowledged that an acquittal would be extremely disappointing for McKee’s loved ones.The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said it would consider the implications of the verdict before deciding on its next steps, while reiterating that its thoughts were with Mackie’s family and friends.The National Union of Journalists also expressed concern that no one has been held accountable for McKee’s murder. NUJ official Séamus Dooley compared the case to the unsolved murder of journalist Martin O’Hagan, saying it remained “a matter of grave concern” that the person who pulled the trigger “went unpunished”.The trial also included six other defendants facing a total of 52 charges related to the disorder. Kieran George McCullum was found guilty of common assault, while Christopher Joseph Gillen was found guilty of rioting and possessing and throwing a petrol bomb.Another defendant, William Patrick Elliott, died before the end of the trial.