An “evil and selfish” man has been jailed for a minimum of 28 years after being found guilty of murdering his brother-in-law and attempting to kill three other people during a shotgun rampage.
Finlay MacDonald, 41, carried out the spree of violence on the Isle of Skye and the Scottish mainland on August 10, 2022.
The attacks began that morning when the father-of-four repeatedly stabbed his wife Rowena at their home in Taskarvaig on the island’s Sleat peninsula after finding “flirty” text messages on her phone between her and her boss.
Giving evidence during the trial at the High Court in Edinburgh, Mrs MacDonald said the “frenzied” attack punctured both her lungs and left her “squelching blood” with every breath she took.
After attacking his wife, MacDonald got into his car with a pump-action shotgun, a “couple of hundred” cartridges and a “machete-type” knife, and drove to his brother-in-law John MacKinnon’s house in the nearby village of Teangue.
His sister Lyn-Anne MacKinnon, who was outside on the driveway, told the court she saw him with the gun as he walked into the house, and said she heard “bangs” as he shot Mr MacKinnon a number of times, leaving him with fatal injuries.
A GP who lived nearby attempted to save Mr MacKinnon but he died at the scene.
Sentencing MacDonald, Judge Lady Drummond said his crimes were “brutal and mindlessly violent” and perpetrated on victims “in their own homes, where they had no opportunity to escape”.
In a statement read by police following the verdict, Mr MacKinnon’s two sisters said he was a “great man”.
“It should never be forgotten that John was defenceless at the time of his murder, when he was inhumanely shot three times in his own home, while making breakfast for his children – murdered by Finlay MacDonald, whose callous and cowardly actions have traumatised all those involved,” their statement said.
“Finlay MacDonald’s children are now without a father due to selfish and evil actions. John’s six children are without his guidance, security and humour.”
The court heard MacDonald had borne a grudge against his brother-in-law since the pair had a violent falling out in 2013.
MacDonald’s lawyer had argued for his client to be convicted of the lesser offence of culpable homicide rather than murder in relation to the killing of Mr MacKinnon, saying his ability to control his actions had been “impaired by reason of abnormality of mind”.
However after three-and-a-half hours of deliberation on Friday, the jury found MacDonald guilty of one count of murder, three counts of attempted murder, and one count of possession of a shotgun “with intent thereof to endanger life”.
For them and the family of John MacKinnon, life will never be the same
Lady Drummond sentenced MacDonald to life imprisonment and ordered him to spend a minimum of 28 years behind bars.
After murdering Mr MacKinnon, MacDonald then drove to the house in Dornie in Wester Ross, on the mainland, where his osteopath John MacKenzie lived with his wife Fay.
MacDonald claimed Mr MacKenzie had previously given him a treatment session which he said “ruined his life”.
After arriving, MacDonald shot Mrs MacKenzie in the face through the windows of the house and then shot Mr MacKenzie twice, in his front and side, before being tasered and arrested by police who had trailed him to the property.
Mrs MacDonald, Mrs MacKenzie and Mr MacKenzie all survived their injuries, and gave evidence in court during the trial.
The court was shown footage of a police interview with MacDonald the day after the attacks during which he said he stabbed his wife in a “moment of madness” and he then felt a “total darkness come over me”.
Lady Drummond said the jury dismissed suggestions that MacDonald was “provoked” into attacking his wife.
The judge said all the surviving victims could have died from their wounds, and she praised their actions and those of the emergency services.
She said Mrs MacDonald had suffered “devastating” physical and psychological harm, including six weeks in hospital, while Mr MacKenzie also spent six weeks in hospital, including in a critical condition, and needed to have a kidney removed.
The judge said: “That they are alive today is down to their own actions, police and emergency services in reaching them – the outcome for each of them was likely to be fatal. For them and the family of John MacKinnon, life will never be the same.”
She told MacDonald he shot his victims “at close range”, and stabbed his wife Rowena nine times, before targeting his brother-in-law.
She added: “The jury decided your behaviour was not substantially impaired by abnormality of mind. They convicted you of murder. There was evidence you bought a shotgun and 1,000 cartridges about six weeks before and told others you were going to kill Mr MacKenzie.”
A central focus of the 12-day trial was the extent to which MacDonald was in control of his actions when he carried out the attacks.
The court heard evidence about his mental state from two psychiatrists and two psychologists, who all agreed he suffered from autistic spectrum disorder and depressive disorder.
However prosecutor Liam Ewing KC said MacDonald’s actions after he stabbed his wife – including the fact he drove to two different houses, was able to load and use a shotgun, and was able to select his victims – indicated he had been “fully in control” of his actions when he murdered the osteopath.
Defending, solicitor advocate Shahid Latif said of MacDonald: “He is sorry for what he did that day.
“He wishes he could undo and go back in time to try and stop himself.
“In particular he indicates he has failed his children. He wants them to know he is sorry.”
