John Alexander Thompson Murphy (26 August 1950 – 10 August 1998) was a Northern Irish loyalist. He was one of the three leading men in the "

Shankill Butchers The Shankill Butchers were an Ulster loyalist gang—many of whom were members of the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)—that was active between 1975 and 1982 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It was based in the Shankill area and was responsible for t ...

", an

Ulster Volunteer Force The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group. Formed in 1965, it first emerged in 1966. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British Army soldier from Northern Ireland. The group undertook an armed campaign ...

(UVF) gang.

Early life

Murphy was the second of three sons born to William and Joyce Murphy, the others being William (eldest) and

Lenny Murphy Hugh Leonard Thompson Murphy (2 March 1952 – 16 November 1982) was a Northern Irish loyalist and UVF officer. As leader of the Shankill Butchers gang, Murphy was responsible for many murders, mainly of Catholic civilians, often first kidna ...

(youngest). Outside his paramilitary career, little is known about him, although

Martin Dillon Martin Dillon (born 2 June 1949) is an Irish author, journalist, and broadcaster. He has won international acclaim for his investigative reporting and non-fiction works on The Troubles, including his bestselling trilogy, ''The Shankill Butcher ...

, author of a book on the "

", wrote that John and William acted as muscle for their younger brother when the latter was engaged in petty crime at school.Dillon, ''Shankill Butchers'', p. 6

Paramilitary activity

According to Dillon, John Murphy was party to the murder of rival loyalist Noel "Nogi" Shaw on 30 November 1975. After being shot in a loyalist drinking-den, Shaw's body was thrown into a laundry basket and dumped in an alleyway. He played an important role in passing orders to the "Butchers" from his brother Lenny, after the latter's imprisonment in March 1976. Other than being convicted, along with several of the "Butchers", with an assault on a man which occurred on 11 April 1977,Dillon, pp. 268–71 John Murphy was never charged with involvement in the activities of the Butchers.Jordan, ''Milestones in Murder'' p. 194

Later life

After Lenny's assassination, his elder brothers returned to domestic life in the Shankill. Martin Dillon wrote that the two brothers were overheard discussing the possibility of killing him (Dillon) for what he wrote about them in his book, ''The Shankill Butchers: a case study of mass murder''.Dillon, ''Shankill Butchers (2nd edition), postscript In 1998, Murphy's nephew William, son of his brother William, was arrested and remanded in prison for the murder of a 78-year-old in the

Shankill Road The Shankill Road () is one of the main roads leading through West Belfast, in Northern Ireland. It runs through the working-class, predominantly loyalist, area known as the Shankill. The road stretches westwards for about from central Belfast ...

area. His nephew was convicted of murder in January 1999 and received a life sentence. A suspended sentence was imposed on William Murphy (the elder) for possession of ammunition uncovered during a search of the family home in Battenberg Street.

Death

John Murphy died on 10 August 1998 in a car crash at the junction of the Grosvenor Road and the Westlink in Belfast.Jordan, ''Milestones in Murder'', pp. 194–5

References

Sources

*Dillon, Martin ''The Shankill Butchers: a case study of mass murder'' (First and second editions, Arrow Books, London, 1990; Routledge, London, 1999). *Jordan, Hugh ''Milestones in Murder. Defining moments in Ulster's terrorist war'' (Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh and London, 2002) *Taylor, Peter ''Loyalists'' (Bloomsbury, London, 1999) {{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, John (Loyalist) Shankill Butchers Ulster Volunteer Force members Ulster loyalists imprisoned on charges of terrorism Road incident deaths in Northern Ireland Paramilitaries from Belfast 1950 births 1998 deaths