One of the men charged with the murder of Kevin Conway in west Belfast must remain in custody, a judge ruled on Tuesday.
Fergal Kane (53) was refused bail at the city’s Magistrates Court amid claims he was trusted by an organised crime grouping to take part in the killing.
Mr Conway (26) was shot multiple times in his flat at Rossnareen Park on January 9 this year.
He had been associated with notorious crime gang The Firm and was on bail for the murder of Shane Whitla in Lurgan, Co Armagh in January 2023.
Police revealed that he was gunned down just minutes after sending his partner a message to say he was relaxing at home on the Playstation.
The killers are believed to have entered the property and opened fire with a shotgun and a pistol.
Kane and co-accused Aidan O’Keefe (27) are jointly charged with the murder.
Both men, whose addresses in Belfast cannot be reported, face a further count of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life.
Detectives claim the pair travelled in convoy by van and car to the scene of the assassination.
They are allegedly connected by CCTV evidence, a vehicle tracking device and registration plate sightings on the night of the murder.
O’Keefe left the Royal Victoria Hospital earlier that evening and drove his Toyota Proace work van through a number of streets in the west of the city before linking up with Kane’s BMW car, according to the police case.
The vehicles were said to have parked up a short distance from the victim’s home before two masked men in dark clothing got out and walked towards the property.
Based on CCTV footage and GPRS tracking data, the van and car then left the area and split up.
Two suspected gunmen were also observed walking on foot in the neighbourhood for a period after the shooting.
Kane’s BMW was seized and forensically examined as part of the investigation.
Initial tests revealed three particles indicative of cartridge discharge residue were located in the car.
The court heard three men made a subsequent attempt to get rid of the work van but were chased off by plain-clothes police officers keeping the vehicle under observation.
As Kane mounted his first application for bail, prosecutors claimed the charges indicated he played a significant role in the criminal outfit behind the murder.
“He would have to be a significant, trusted part of that organised grouping,” a Crown lawyer submitted.
It was also disclosed that since he was first remanded in custody, Kane has been moved to the dissident republican wing of Maghaberry Prison.
With both guns used in the shooting still missing, concerns were raised that his release could further hinder the investigation.
Defence counsel JonPaul Shields argued that the prosecution will face difficulties linking Kane’s BMW to the area of the murder at the relevant time.
He described the evidence against his client as “speculative”.
Denying bail, however, District Judge Steven Keown cited the risks of re-offending and interfering with police inquiries.
He said: “On the Crown’s case, Mr Kane is a trusted member of an organised crime group involved in offences of the utmost seriousness.”