Murder accused had 'focused plan' to target victims, court told

A murder accused had “a focused plan” to target specific individuals, a court has heard.

A clinical psychologist said Finlay MacDonald, thought to have undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder, had decided to no longer be a victim.

MacDonald, 41, is accused of attempting to murder his wife Rowena, 34, on August 10, 2022 at the family home at Tarskavaig, on the Isle of Skye, by repeatedly stabbing her.

The marine engineer is also accused of murdering his brother-in-law John MacKinnon on the same day at his home in Teangue, on Skye, by firing a shotgun at him.

John MacKinnon was killed in the attack on Skye. Police Scotland

He is further alleged to have attempted to murder retired osteopath John MacKenzie and his wife Fay, both 65, at their home in the Highland village of Dornie by discharging a shotgun at them.

Dr Harry Wood said MacDonald’s behaviour was consistent with an individual focused on himself and his own plan and was not displaying the usual degree of empathy.

Defence counsel Donald Findlay KC said to the psychologist that MacDonald went armed with one of his guns and “really enough ammunition to start a small war” to the home of his brother-in-law John MacKinnon and shot him.

The psychologist told the High Court in Edinburgh that at the time of the alleged murder, MacDonald was affected by autism and post-traumatic stress disorder with depression, anxiety and a personality disorder in the background.

In his closing speech, prosecutor advocate depute Liam Ewing KC, said MacDonald had begun to take steps to prepare for a violent attack using a gun against one or both men.

“In the period before he murdered John MacKinnon the accused’s health deteriorated,” the prosecutor said.

“He was depressed and anxious about his job and his marriage.”

“He had a deep rooted resentment against two men. He began to take steps to prepare for a violent attack, using a firearm, against one or both of them.”

Mr Ewing said that MacDonald initially carried out a frenzied knife attack on his wife Rowena but what he did next was very different. He maintained that he acted in a controlled way as he took a gun and ammunition to travel to the destinations of further shooting targets, his brother-in-law and a retired osteopath.

The prosecutor argued that the way he acted and took steps to prepare ahead of the attack on Mr MacKinnon demonstrated that the appropriate verdict for the jury to return was one of murder, rather than the lesser offence of culpable homicide.

MacDonald has lodged a special defence maintaining that at the time of the alleged offences his ability to determine and control his conduct was substantially impaired by abnormality of mind.

He said that to return a verdict of culpable homicide the jury would have to be satisfied that MacDonald’s ability to control and determine his conduct was “significantly impaired”.

Mr Ewing pointed out to jurors that it was for the accused to prove diminished responsibility, not the prosecution. He said: “It is for the accused to prove diminished responsibility. If he does not, it is murder.”
“There must be something far wrong with him, which affects the way he acts,” he said.

Mr Ewing urged jurors to consider what MacDonald did after he stabbed his wife. He said: “Look at the way he selected his targets. What that shows is a man fully in control, fully able to determine his conduct.”

He said that after the knife attack on his wife MacDonald set off with a pump action shotgun, more than 400 cartridges and a further knife.

Mr Ewing said that if jurors looked at the actions of MacDonald after he stabbed his wife they would see “a man whose ability to control and determine his actions was not in any way impaired”.

The trial continues.