SIXTEEN people died violently in Northern Ireland last year with victims ranging from an 18 year-old teenager to a grandmother aged 82.
The number of violent deaths fell by around 15 per cent on the previous year and included the shooting of Dublin gangland figure Robbie Lawlor in Ardoyne in north Belfast in April.
It was just days into the new year on January 4 when police were investigating the murder of Glen Quinn in Carrickfergus.
The 47-year-old was beaten at his home in Ashleigh Park in the Co Antrim town.
The brutal attack, in which he suffered around 50 fractures to both sides of his ribs, is believed to have been carried out by people with links to the South East Antrim UDA.
Police said they feared people would not come forward for fear of retribution. As a result in September fresh appeal for information was made on BBC's Crimewatch Roadshow and the charity Crimestoppers offered £10,000 for information which leads to convictions.
On January 16 Nathan Gibson (25), from Craigavon, was found dead on a towpath in the town.
The father-of-one was found close to a main road in the town and was subjected to a "very violent" attack before he died.
A 41-year-old man has since been charged in relation to the murder.
He is also accused of the assault and false imprisonment of a woman, understood to be Mr Gibson's fiancée, and making a threat to kill her.
In March police investigated two murders. On the 21st guesthouse owner Inayat Shah (67) was found dead at his home in Ballymena.
Mr Shah ran the Traveller's Rest on the Galgorm Road.
Police were called to the property following reports that a man had been stabbed. Mr Shah died at the scene.
A 51-year-old man - with an address listed as that of the Traveller’s Rest - is charged with murder.
On the same date he is also charged with wounding another man with intent to do him actual bodily harm and making a threat to kill another man.
On March 30 grandmother Elizabeth Dobbin (82) from Larne was killed.
The pensioner's body was discovered at her home on Dromaine Drive in the Co Antrim town on March 30.
The PSNI charged her 32-year-old grandson Alan Gingles, who shared her home, with murder after a post-mortem examination was carried out.
In April Natasha Melendez (32) from Lisburn, Co Antrim, died from injuries following an assault in March.
Ms Melendez, a Venezuelan national, died in hospital on April 1 after being subjected to the assault at a house in Finch Gardens on March 22.
Shortly after a 30-year-old man and 23-year-old woman were arrested and later released pending further investigations.
In July police said a woman who was arrested had been released pending a report to the Public Prosecution Service on suspicion of perverting the course of justice and withholding information concerning a serious arrestable offence.
One of the most high profile cases of the year was the shooting of Dublin gangland member Robbie Lawlor (36) at a house in Ardoyne.
Yesterday the High Court in Belfast heard the murder was allegedly commissioned at a meeting in a Sligo hotel.
Prosecutors said the underworld figure moved north of the border because he feared he was going to be attacked.
But it was claimed that a plan to lure him to his death had already been authorised at a gathering attended by an international drugs dealer three weeks earlier.
New details emerged as bail was refused to one of two men charged with the murder on April 4 this year.
Patrick Teer (45) from Thornberry Hill in Belfast, and Adrian Holland (37) with an address at Woodleigh Terrace in Derry, are jointly charged with the murder.
On April 13 an 18-year-old Enniskillen teenager died from wounds sustained following assault on April 11. During the incident John Paul McDonagh was struck to the back of his leg severely injuring a vital artery. He later died in hospital.
Joseph Joyce (29) from Coolcullen Meadows, Enniskillen, was charged with murdering Mr McDonagh and wounding Gerard McDonagh, with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon.
Also in April police were investigating the sudden death of Emma Jane McParland. The 39 year-old was stabbed to death at flat off the Ormeau Road in south Belfast.
Her son Jordan Kennedy (22) of Haywood Avenue in Belfast has been charged with the killing on April 22.
He appeared at the city's Magistrates Court yesterday and faces a single count of murder. The accused remains in custody and will appear again for arraignment on a date to be fixed
A previous court heard how he suffered brain damage following a fatal road crash in 2014.
Former pub doorman Kieran Wylie was shot dead at his house in Lenadoon Avenue in west Belfast in front of his daughters.
Mr Wylie was aware he was under threat before he was shot dead on May 17.
Two men, including at least one experienced gunman, forced their way into the house and shot the 57-year-old a number of times at close range.
Police arrested a 46-year-old man earlier this month for questioning in relation to the shooting.
On May 17 Maris Ludborzs (44) was found dead in north Belfast.
Sarunas Nauburaitis (34), a friend of the deceased, has been charged with his murder and is also accused of stealing and using a bank card belonging to the victim whose body lay undiscovered for up to a week.
Police found 44-year-old Mr Ludborzs lying dead in the kitchen of the defendant's north Belfast home.
Mr Ludborzs' identity was only confirmed after checks were carried out in his native Latvia.
On June 8 Darren McNally (46) from Derry was discovered dead at a house at Duncastle Road. It is understood he died from a single stab wound to the back.
A 41-year-old woman has been charged with the murder and possession of an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offence.
Later that month an 18-year-old was charged with the murder of a father-of-two in Ballymena.
Jason Lee Martin (31) was stabbed at a house in the Orkney Drive area of the town in the early hours of June 27.
Also on June 27 investigated the death of Warren Crossan (28) in west Belfast.
Mr Crossan, a father-of-two was shot a number of times in Rodney Parade off the Lower Falls Road.
The PSNI said they have not established a motive for the killing, but did not rule out organised crime links.
He was the son of a well-known dissident republican Tommy Crossan, who was shot dead on the Springfield Road, Belfast, in 2014.
Warren Crossan was previously arrested and questioned about the murder of Robbie Lawlor.
Police, who also launched a murder investigation following the death of Daniel Guyler from Derry in 2019, charged two women with the murder.
The 75-year-old died in Altnagelvin hospital on May 1 2019, following an assault in July 2018.
Two women appeared at Derry Magistrate's Court in July 2020 charged with the murder.
They were also charged with the robbery of £400 from Mr Guyler.
The court heard that on that date police were called by the ambulance service after a badly injured man was found in the Termon Street area.
On August 2 Patrycja Wyrebek (20) was found dead at her home in Newry, Co Down.
The 20-year-old's body was found at in the bath her house in Drumalane Park in Newry at around 8.30am on Sunday August 2.
Polish national Dawid Lukasz Mietus, of Drumalane Park in Newry, was charged with murdering Ms Wyrebek.
Two weeks later 60-year-old Susan Baird was found dead at her home in south Belfast.
In November police said their enquiries were still continuing in the murder investigation.
Mrs Baird, a mother-of-four, died in mid-August at her home in a cul-de-sac at Windermere Road in the Four Winds area.
Detectives at the time arrested a 61-year-old man on suspicion of murder and he was taken into custody.
It is understood he remains under medical supervision.
In September Donald Fraser-Rennie was found dead at flat in Ballymena, Co Antrim.
Two men have been accused of murdering the 33-year-old who was found at a flat in the Ballykeel estate on a date unknown between September 28 and 30.
