Harrowing last message teen left for mum before he was dismembered in gangland killing

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT Keane’s severed limbs were dumped from a car in a sports bag onto a pavement as his mum Elizabeth later said she could still hear him calling ‘Mam, Mam’

A 17-year-old who was abducted and horrifically dismembered sent a chilling final text to his mother before his brutal gangland murder.

The shocking killing of Keane Mulready-Woods in 2020 sent shockwaves throughout Ireland, leaving the nation stunned. The teenager, caught up in a drugs turf war in Drogheda, was lured to a property on January 12 where he suffered horrific torture before being decapitated.

His severed limbs were discarded from a vehicle in a sports bag onto a pavement in Moatview. Several days later, his head, hands and feet were found in a burnt-out car in Dublin.

Keane’s murder sparked a series of retaliatory attacks, eventually resulting in the killing of prime suspect Robbie Lawlor, who was gunned down while chasing a drugs debt.

Before his disappearance, Keane contacted his mother, telling her he would be home late and asking her to leave taxi money out for him.

Keane, who had got involved in working as a drugs courier for a local criminal gang, was under firm instructions to be back before dark and had been following tothese rules, according to the Irish Independent.

At the time of his death, he was out on licence after a conviction for intimidating a local mother over her child’s drugs debts owed to the gang.

It is believed that Lawlor murdered Keane because he suspected the teenager was involved in the fatal shooting of his brother-in-law Richie Carberry at his home in November 2019.

Gardaí believe that Lawlor escalated to torturing the teenager, despite initially claiming he would simply administer a “punishment beating” over a minor drugs debt.

A source told the Irish Sun: “Lawlor was obsessed with Mulready-Woods and was determined to take his life because he was convinced he played a major role in Carberry’s death.

“He took his propensity for violence to another level when he dismembered the teenager’s remains and then taunted his enemies about it.”

The ruthless 36-year-old had been linked to numerous killings and amassed hundreds of criminal convictions before his fatal shooting.

Last December, he walked free from court after being cleared of attempting to murder the mother of his former partner’s new boyfriend.

Just weeks after his acquittal on the attempted murder charge, he was assaulted outside a gym by someone connected to one of his alleged murder victims.

Lawlor’s gym possessions were taken and his rivals shared photographs of themselves wearing his flip-flops.

It’s widely believed that Keane was present during the attack – and a furious Lawlor allegedly vowed revenge.

Among the images shared following Keane’s murder was one featuring the chilling caption: “Won’t be robbing a man’s flip-flops again.”

In February 2023, local criminal Paul Crosby was handed a 10-year prison sentence for his role in Keane’s murder, while his associate Gerard “Rocky” Cruise received seven years behind bars. A third man, Gerard ‘Ged’ McKenna, admitted to cleaning up and disposing of evidence from the scene.

In a devastating victim impact statement delivered on behalf of Keane’s heartbroken mother Elizabeth, she said: “No one could imagine the darkness and sadistic evil in our country I can hear him calling ‘Mam, Mam’ – and the haunting nightmares live forever with us. To lose my child, my son, my baby in a most inhumane, barbaric death is shocking,” adding that a piece of her died as well. “I couldn’t protect him.”