Johnstone: Sister of Johnny Winters tells of family’s pain

Lisa-Marie Winters was left devastated when younger sibling Johnny died in a senseless knife attack in a town centre street.

She gave birth to her first child the following year and named the new arrival John-Scott, in his honour.

Now 29-year-old Lisa-Marie and her family are experiencing fresh grief after a teenager admitted killing Johnny.

Johnny Winters died after he was stabbed through the heart outside his Johnstone home

Jack McBride, who was just 17 at the time of the incident, had faced a murder rap but prosecutors accepted his guilty plea to the reduced charge of culpable homicide this week.

He will learn his fate next month, with Lisa-Marie hoping he gets the “maximum sentence available.”

She told The Gazette: “These past two years have been horrible and, basically, I’ve been holding off from grieving while all this has been going on.

“Johnny didn’t get to see his nephew, who I’ve named after him.”

Read more: Teenager admits to killing man by stabbing him through the heart with knife

McBride plunged a kitchen knife into 26-year-old Johnny’s heart during a confrontation on April 1, 2020.

The High Court in Glasgow heard that both men lived in High Street, Johnstone, and McBride suspected Johnny was responsible for the door of his family home being torched in 2019.

On the night of the fatal attack, McBride called his ex-girlfriend, ranting about the victim.

This included him stating: “You think I cannot kill someone? You think my bark is bigger than my bite?

“Johnny Winters thinks he is a name. I will be a name.”

Jack McBride was 17 when he carried out the fatal attack

McBride then stood outside Johnny’s flat and yelled at him to come downstairs.

Prosecutor Neil McCulloch told the court: “McBride video recorded this interaction and shared it over Snapchat.

“McBride can be seen in the recording shouting up at the window, demanding he come out.

“Johnny Winters can be heard telling him to come up.

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“The recording ends with a selfie of McBride captioned ‘gametime’.”

Jurors heard that Johnny struck McBride with the “blunt side” of a hatchet.

The teenager responded by stabbing Johnny once in the chest with the knife before running off.

Medics soon arrived but were unable to save Johnny.

Johnny is sorely missed by his family

McBride, now 19, was remanded in custody by judge Lady Haldane, who deferred sentencing until next month so background reports can be carried out.

Lisa-Marie said: “Johnny’s death didn’t need to happen.

“Me and my dad have been hit the hardest by his death.

“This is me just starting to grieve and it’s hard to think I’ll go through the rest of my life without Johnny here.”