The prosecution case in the Dungannon Crown Court trial of Stephen McKinney the father of two who denies murdering his 35-year-old wife Lu Na was finally closed yesterday (Wednesday) after over two months of evidence.

Releasing the jury of eight men and four women for the day after the formal announcement by prosecuting QC Richard Weir, trial judge Madam Justice McBride asked them to return in a week’s time while further legal matters are dealt with.

Lifeless body

Earlier the jury heard McKinney maintained during his police interviews he had nothing to do with the death of his wife whose lifeless body was pulled from the water near Devenish Island on Lower Lough Erne on April 13, 2017.

The jury also heard that during the investigation into her death, police had three lines of enquiry. Defence QC Martin O’Rourke in cross-examination of one of the interviewing detectives, said those lines were: “First, accidental drowning. Secondly suicide” .... “and thirdly murder”.

McKinney, now with an address in Castletown Square, Fintona in Tyrone, denies murdering his wife as their two children slept during the family boating holiday, admitting while he’d done everything to rescue her, it wasn’t enough.

Questioned for over 24 hours during 25 interviews over five days, the Tyrone man originally from Strabane but living with his family in Convoy, Co Donegal, also told detectives that was something he would have to live with for the rest of his life.

During the final interview read to the court on Wednesday the jury heard detectives at Omagh Police Station put it to him he’d killed Lu Na after she “burst (his) bubble” by threatening to divorce him and take their children back to China.

Detectives said to McKinney her plans forced him “over the edge”, and to him “that the ends justified the means” to ensure he would never lose his children as they were the most “important, biggest feature” in his life.

They further suggested McKinney was “not prepared to let that happen”, and so “organised, planned the boat trip” during which his wife was murdered.

Throughout this interview McKinney continually denied he did anything “to harm my wife... I did not plan anything .. I did not murder my wife and I’ve no idea what you are saying”.

Sleeping tablet

At one stage they asked him if he thought the sleeping tablet she’d taken that night had anything to do with her death or contributed to it, which he denied, before putting it bluntly to him he’d “put Lu Na in the water” and that he didn’t want her out again.

At another stage police told him the “fatal flaw” in his plan had been the fact Lu Na was wearing a coat that night, and so did not sink into the lough.

“I didn’t have a plan,” he maintained adding later that he “did not put Lu Na into the water, I did everything to save her, to rescue her, to get her out of the water”.

However, having failed to save her he now “lives with this every minute of everyday, knowing I did not save my wife”.

Pressed one last time, in his final answer McKinney repeated again that he “did not murder my wife, I did not make any plans ... I didn’t do anything ... I know I did the best to rescue my wife.

“I know I tried but I also know I did not try hard enough and I know I should have tried harder .... I am the one who will have to live with that for the rest of my life.

“I didn’t murder my wife,” said McKinney.