Prosecution makes closing argument in Kayden Moy murder case

A jury has been urged to convict two teenagers of murdering a 16-year-old boy on Irvine Beach last year.

A 15-year-old boy who cannot be named for legal reasons and Jay Stewart, 18, are accused of killing Kayden Moy on 17 May 2025. Cole Turley, 18, pleaded guilty to the murder before the trial started at the High Court in Glasgow.

Prosecutor Liam Ewing KC said the trio "did what they came to do" after Moy was stabbed to death.

He added the group had travelled to the beach seeking retribution for a previous incident involving Moy, who was in a different gang to the one Stewart, Turley and the teenager belonged to.

The charge says Stewart and the 15-year-old, while acting with Turley, pursued Moy and caused him to fall to the ground before they repeatedly stabbed him to the body.

It is alleged Stewart and the other teenager had previous ill-will and malice towards the victim.

The prosecution had earlier withdrawn all charges other than the murder allegation against the duo.

The trial previously heard Turley, Stewart and the 15-year-old were part of the Murray Boys gang of East Kilbride in South Lanarkshire.

Moy and his friends were stated to be members of the rival Himshie gang.

Ewing stated that Stewart had previously threatened Moy with violence on social media, prior to the attack.

The advocate depute said Stewart and the 15-year-old travelled together to the beach with Turley, having heard a 17-year-old associate had been in a fight with a member of Moy's group earlier that day.

Ewing added: "The rocks don't appear to have struck anyone - it was an exercise to flush out the Himshie group to invoke a reaction and it did so."

Amid the confrontation between the two groups, Stewart was stated to be "jumping back and forward" and was "ready for a fight."

He was also said to have looked at Moy "aggressively" after the stabbing by Turley and said he deserved it.

There was also mention of footage showing the trio running down a road minutes after the attack.

The advocate depute said the accused were seen shaking hands with Turley and embracing him.

It was stated the three teenagers took a taxi from Irvine back to East Kilbride, before entering the home of 19-year-old Fraser Wallace, who was friendly with Turley.

Ewing claimed that the duo on trial - as well as Turley - asked Wallace if Moy had died.

The advocate depute said that on receiving information Moy was still alive at the time, the group started singing a song about him, with lyrics including "Kayden bop" as Stewart and the 15-year-old touched their stomach and leg.

He said reference was also made to the victim being "cheffed up."

Ewing also touched on Wallace's evidence that he was told by the 15-year-old that he passed the lock back knife murder weapon to Turley before the stabbing.

Jurors previously heard that no identifiable trace of the 15-year-old's DNA had been found on the knife when analysed.

Ewing asked jurors: "Why did they travel to that place at that time and with weapons?

"The two boys and Cole Turley went for the purposes of retaliation or retribution for that [earlier] incident.

"You should conclude that they went to engage in a violent confrontation with that group."

The advocate depute stated that the duo on trial had acted in concert with Turley in committing the murder, saying there was credible and reliable evidence to show this.

He added: "The evidence establishes that there was a common criminal purpose and there was scope in the use of violence to cause serious injury and with that carried an obvious risk to life."

Donald Findlay KC, defending Stewart, and Ian Duguid KC, defending the 15-year-old, will give their speeches to the jury tomorrow.

The trial continues before Judge Lord Scott.