Three men guilty after death of man in Chelmsford
Zack O’Keefe was convicted of murder while Harrison Carpenter and Joseph Dawe were convicted of manslaughter.
Three men have been convicted following the death 30-year-old Kieran Shepherd in Chelmsford in October 2024.
Zack O’Keefe, Harrison Carpenter and Joseph Dawe were in Meadgate Avenue on 15 October when they saw 30-year-old Kieran Shepherd walking his dog and chased him. He then sustained fatal stab wounds.
The three burned clothing in a wooded area in Stock shortly after killing Kieran, before hiding at a holiday park in Jaywick overnight.
Carpenter, 20, of Ben Wilson Link in Chelmsford, handed himself into police the following day as Dawe, 20, of Greenland Gardens, Great Baddow, and O’Keefe, 20, of Stafford Green, Langdon Hills, fled across the country, but were arrested in Seifton in Shropshire on 18 October.
All three denied murder and after a four-week trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, and almost ten hours of deliberation, the jury found O’Keefe guilty of murder and Carpenter and Dawe guilty of manslaughter.
Speaking after the verdicts, Kieran’s mother Julie said: “As a family it has been a horrific ten months which we will have to live with forever. "
Kieran’s father added: “We have endured an incredibly painful journey seeking justice for our beloved son. While no verdict can ever bring him back, we are grateful that his life, his story, and his worth were acknowledged in this courtroom."
All three have been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing on 23 October 2025.