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A PENSIONER MAN accused of killing Renee MacRae and her young son in 1976 has been found guilty.

William MacDowell, 80, was found guilty of killing Renee, 36, and Andrew, three, in November 1976 before attempting to defeat justice by disposing of their bodies. A High Court jury in Inverness found MacDowell guilty of the murders this afternoon. The crimes are believed to have taken place in an A9 car park in Dalmagarry, near Inverness and elsewhere. MacDowell, now from Penrith, Cumbria, was also found guilty of setting fire to a BMW engine, removing the boot lid of a Volvo and dumping a pram in an attempt to conceal the murders. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a recommendation to serve at least 30 years for the murders. Man found guilty of killing lover and son in 1976 https://t.co/ZPudbYKvax via @BBCNews — BBC Highlands (@BBCHighlands) September 29, 2022 After MacDowell's sentencing, Judge Lord Armstrong said to him, "These murders appear to have been deliberately planned and carried out in a calculated manner, not a spontaneous event or moment." He added: "It does appear to be executions. “You killed your victims, then disposed of their bodies and their belongings, including the boy's pram. "Then you took steps to hide the crimes you committed." Mrs MacRae's sister Morag Steventon later said; "Over 45 years of grief over the loss of Renee and Andrew will not go away. "Not a day goes by that we're not both on our minds." The 36-year-old BMW, mother of two, was found burned at the rest area at the time, but the couple were never seen again. The court had heard that Mrs MacRae, who was estranged from her husband, was having an affair with the married MacDowell when she and Andrew disappeared. Mrs. MacRae left home on November 12, 1976 to meet McDowell. McDowell was the focus of the investigation but vehemently denied any involvement in her disappearance. His lawyers had raised special charges and alibis during the trial. But prosecutor Alex Prentice KC argued there was a classic and compelling circumstantial case against him. The motive for the murder, he suggested, was that Mrs. MacRae was increasingly demanding that Mr. MacDowell kill her. He had told her they would have a new life on Shetland. Chief Inspector Brian Geddes, the lead constable who arrested MacDowell, added: "The reason he killed her was because things were coming to a head for William MacDowell. "He knew the public and his employer would know about his relationship with Renee MacRae and he had to act. "He did it to save his life. He wanted to be with his wife and two children because he was used to a certain standard of living. "He knew very well that if his secret relationship with Renée became public, he would be fired and it would have a negative impact on his life." The remains of Mrs MacRae and her son Andrew have never been found. The senior police officer who arrested MacDowell has promised to meet with him to try and recover the bodies of the victims.

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