Floral tributes for convicted murderer

Published Monday, 27 August 2012

Floral tributes have been left for a supermarket employee once convicted for the sectarian murder of two brothers, who has died after setting himself on fire.

Flowers have been left at the supermarket after the employer's death on Friday. (© Pacemaker)

Billy Hunter was fired from his position at a north Belfast branch of supermarket chain Asda two years ago for allegedly asking a delivery driver to play The Sash instead of pop music.

He was later reinstated at the store after protesters picketed the supermarket on the Shore Road.

The 56-year-old died after allegedly setting himself on fire in Millisle in the early hours of Friday morning.

Flowers and sympathy cards have been left over the weekend at the supermarket where Hunter worked.

PSNI confirmed they investigated the circumstances of the death of a man in his 50s in the Ballywalter Road area on Friday.

A post-mortem was carried out and the death is not being treated as suspicious.

Hunter served 14 years in jail after receiving a life sentence for the murder of Thomas and John McErlane in 1975.

The Catholic brothers were work colleagues of Mr Hunter's when he lured them to a flat in the Mount Vernon estate and shot them both in the head.

Comments

30 Comments

jackie in belfast wrote (262 days ago):

@Ryan so i take it you will no longer be voting for finn fein?

eoin in belfast wrote (262 days ago):

As a catholic with a decent family upbringing I was always told it was wrong to speak ill of the dead lets leave that to the loyalist hypicrites. The evil acts that billy commited will have to be answered for to the highest judge of all Christ our lord may God have mercy on his soul when he is judged for his henoius evil deeds.

Michael in BElfast wrote (262 days ago):

Ryan in Belfast wrote - For this Billy Hunter, what kind of scumbag lures back WORK MATES then murders them? Makes you realize how bad some people can be. - Why the same kind of scumbags that blow up innocent women and children or use women to lure young soldiers away from the city centre only to shoot them down in cold blood. When you look at your own side and condemn what they did maybe your threats would be taken more seriously. I am sure those in ASDA will have many sleepless nights knowing you won't shop there again.

Peter in Belfast wrote (262 days ago):

Billy was a murderer. End of. He paid for his crime I keep reading So that makes it ok? Can he bring back the lives of the two innocent men he murdered in cold blood?

Ann in Newtownabbey wrote (262 days ago):

Well done asda,.. will all the staff that work there get floral tributes left at the gates when they pass away.? And if any catholics working there get a tricolour put up? you seem to have set a new trend.

More Comments

^ Top of Comments