Daniel Lynch brutally killed his older brother Shane Lynch in a ‘sustained and brutal’ attack in November last year. He was slapped with a life sentence in court today
A man who killed his own brother in a “sustained and brutal” attack has been jailed.
Daniel Lynch brutally killed his older sibling Shane Lynch after subjecting him to repeated blows to the head with a weapon, most likely a hammer. Shane, 39 at the time of his death, died as a result of the injuries he sustained at the family home in Bosmeor Park in Illogan Highway, near Redrut, Cornwall,.
The murder that earned Daniel Lynch a life sentence with a minimum of 20 years at Truro Crown court today was described as “sustained and brutal” and “involving at least one weapon”, Judge Simon Carr said. The court hearing during the trial that the brothers had a difficult relationship and that at the time of Shane’s death.
Daniel was annoyed by a tablet believed to have been stolen by Shane, although this issue was considered resolved. It is still unclear what happened on the night leading up to Shane’s death, but Judge Carr said there was “clearly an argument or disagreement of some kind”. He added: “Armed with a weapon or weapons you launched a sustained, frenzied and brutal attack which included multiple blows to the head with force.”
Judge Carr added that for many of the blows Shane Lynch was on the ground, and that Daniel Lynch made significant attempts to clear up the scene and destroy evidence following the murder overnight between Novermber 11 and 12, 2024. The court also heard the “terrible sense of loss” felt by others following Shane’s death, particularly his 16-year-old daughter with whom Shane enjoyed a close relationship. Daniel Lynch had spent the day [11 November] drinking and trying to obtain drugs.
He continued to act in an erratic manner, making accusations towards both Shane and his partner, the court was told. At this point Daniel Lynch left the house but missed his bus home. He returned to the property and continued drinking. In the subsequent hours, a person in similar clothes to the ones Daniel Lynch was wearing earlier in the day were spotted in CCTV in the local area. The man was seen leaving the house without a rucksack and returning without one.
The prosecution said this was when Daniel Lynch disposed of Shane’s phone and other evidence. It was likely Shane had been killed by 1.30am, the court heard. By 1.46am, Shane’s phone was no longer connecting to the mast that connected to the address. Cellular data showed that Shane’s phone was taken away from the property before completely disconnecting from the network. The first sighting of Daniel Lynch on 12 November at around 3:45am was when he was found on the living room sofa by Daniel and Shane’s half-brother who had come downstairs to reconnect the Wi-Fi.
Shane’s body was located on the kitchen floor surrounded by blood after Daniel Lynch had told his half-brother that Shane was in there asleep. Paramedics attended after being called by Shane and Daniel’s mother and Shane was pronounced deceased shortly after. Officers were called by ambulance service personnel due to their suspicion that accounts provided by those present were not consistent with Shane’s injuries. Daniel Lynch had by this point changed his clothing from what he was seen wearing earlier in the day.
His hoodie was found with Shane’s blood on it seemingly hidden in the kitchen, and his jacket and polo shirt were found washed in the washing machine. His jeans have never been recovered. Pictures of Shane lying unresponsive on the kitchen floor prior to paramedics’ arrival were found on Daniel Lynch’s phone. A forensic post-mortem revealed that Shane died as a result of head and facial injuries.
An examination of the house found diluted blood in the sink, appearing to show that somebody had attempted to clean a blood-stained object or themselves in the sink. Underneath and next to Shane’s body a knife blade that had been broken in two was recovered. Blood on the knife belonged to Shane.
A later crime scene search located two items of bloodstained clothing hidden in the kitchen. Both the hoodie believed to belong to Daniel Lynch and a pair of joggers contained DNA belonging to both Shane and Daniel.
In police interview Daniel Lynch told officers he had not changed his clothing from the day before, even though evidence showed him wearing different clothing on November 11 compared to when he was arrested early the following day. He denied murdering his brother or attacking him in any way.
Daniel Lynch claimed that the murder must have been carried out by a third party who entered the house while he was asleep on the sofa only a few metres away. This version of events was ultimately dismissed by the jury.
Speaking after the verdict, Detective Inspector Rob Smith, from the Devon & Cornwall Police Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “There are only two men who truly know what happened in the property that night and one of them is sadly no longer with us. A huge amount of work has gone into this investigation to establish the circumstances that lead to Shane Lynch’s death.
“What is not in doubt is that Shane Lynch was brutally murdered by his own brother Daniel within their mother’s home. The exact reasons Daniel launched such a violent and brutal attack on his brother, we will likely never know.
“Daniel Lynch continued to deny he was responsible for the murder despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. We welcome the verdict and sentence passed by the court. We hope all those involved in this case are able to move on with their lives.”