The horrific gangland murder of a 17-year-old boy in Ireland, which involved torture and dismemberment, was preceded by a chilling final message to his mother that has left an indelible mark on the nation's consciousness. Keane Mulready-Woods, a teenager from Drogheda, was caught in the crosshairs of a violent drug feud when he was lured to a house on January 12, 2020, leading to a brutal sequence of events that shocked the country.
A Savage Killing That Rocked Ireland
Keane Mulready-Woods' murder sent shockwaves throughout Ireland, stunning communities with its sheer brutality. The teenager, who had become embroiled in local gang activities as a drug runner, was subjected to horrific torture before being decapitated in what authorities believe was a targeted gangland execution. His dismembered remains were callously disposed of in multiple locations, with his limbs discovered in a sports bag on a footpath in Moatview and his head, hands and feet later found in a burnt-out vehicle in Dublin.
The Final Phone Call Home
Before vanishing into what would become his final hours, Keane made a heartbreaking phone call to his mother. According to reports from the Irish Independent, the teenager told his mum he would be home late and asked her to leave taxi money out for him. This ordinary domestic request has since become a haunting reminder of the normal life cut short by extraordinary violence. Keane had been following gang-imposed rules to be home before dark, making his disappearance all the more alarming to his family.
Retaliation and Revenge Attacks
The savage killing sparked immediate retaliatory violence across Ireland's criminal underworld. The prime suspect in Keane's murder, Robbie Lawlor, was himself gunned down while collecting a drug debt in what authorities believe was direct retaliation for the teenager's death. Lawlor, a 36-year-old with hundreds of criminal convictions and multiple murder allegations to his name, had walked free from court just weeks earlier after being acquitted of attempting to kill the mother of his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend.
Escalating Violence and Motive
Gardaí investigators believe Lawlor's violence escalated dramatically during Keane's ordeal. Initially planning what he described as a "punishment beating" over minor drug debts, Lawlor instead subjected the teenager to prolonged torture before dismembering his body. An insider disclosed to the Irish Sun that Lawlor was "obsessed with Mulready-Woods" and convinced the teenager played a major role in the killing of his brother-in-law, Richie Carberry, who was murdered at his home in November 2019.
The Flip-Flop Incident and Further Provocation
Just weeks before Keane's murder, Lawlor had been assaulted outside a gym by someone connected to one of his alleged murder victims. During this altercation, Lawlor's gym bag was stolen, and rivals subsequently flaunted images of themselves wearing his flip-flops. Investigators believe Keane was present during this attack, and a furious Lawlor allegedly plotted his revenge. Among the disturbing photos circulated after Keane's death was one carrying the message: "Won't be robbing a man's flip-flops again."
Justice and Heartbreak
In February 2023, local criminal Paul Crosby was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for his role in Keane's killing, while his accomplice Gerard "Rocky" Cruise received seven years behind bars. A third man, Gerard 'Ged' McKenna, confessed to cleaning up and disposing of evidence from the murder scene. The emotional toll on Keane's family was captured in a heartbreaking victim impact statement read out for his mother Elizabeth, who 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."
She added through her grief: "To lose my child, my son, my baby in a most inhumane, barbaric death is shocking," revealing that a piece of her died alongside her son. "I couldn't protect him," she concluded, encapsulating the devastating impact of gang violence on ordinary families caught in its wake.
