Ms Gordon’s 16-year-old daughter and 21-year-old son were at home at the time of the murder.

The court was told that at around 18:00 GMT, Ms Gordon’s daughter heard gunshots outside the house, which she initially thought was a fireworks display.

As she walked downstairs, she could see her mother holding the front door as if trying to close it, and a “gun tip” coming through the open door.

The 16-year-old young man told the police, “I saw him fall. I went to him.”

“As soon as my mother took her last breath, I was still hearing the gunshots and… I opened the front door and was yelling at her… and she looked right at me.”

He said a motion light was on which allowed him to see the defendant clearly and although he was wearing a balaclava he could see enough of his face to recognize him.

“Everything happened in slow motion. We were face to face for a few seconds, maybe five, before we ran away,” he told police.