A THIRD man has been charged with murder following the death of John Taylor in Kilwinning.

Marshall Strachan made no plea to a single charge when he appeared for a private petition hearing at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on Thursday, October 31.

The 19-year-old has now been committed for further examination and remanded in custody.

Strachan, from Kilwinning, is now the third person to appear in the dock charged with murder amid Police Scotland's ongoing investigations.

On Wednesday, October 23, Kiey O’Connor also made no plea when he appeared in private at the Ayrshire courthouse.

The 26-year-old's appearance came after police confirmed that a male had been apprehended the previous day.

As well as an allegation of murder, O'Connor - whose general address is listed as being in North Ayrshire - also faced a further accusation of attempting to defeat the ends of justice.

He is now being held in custody pending his next appearance in court.

Officers then confirmed that a further two men had been arrested on Friday, October 25, with one of the males later charged before appearing in court on Monday, October 28.

Kieran Lindsay, 19, made no plea to a single charge of murder when he appeared in private at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court.

The North Ayrshire man was remanded in custody pending his next appearance in the dock.

The other male was released pending further enquiries - with the investigation still ongoing.

Mr Taylor, 44, was found with serious injuries outside of his home on Pollock Crescent at around 1.55pm on Friday, October 18. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The day after his death, following a post mortem examination, police confirmed that they were investigating murder - stating they believed the incident to be a "targeted attack".

A force spokesperson said: "Detectives have set up a website that gives members of the public access to a form to send information directly to the Major Investigation Team, which can be submitted anonymously."

The portal can be accessed at: https://orlo.uk/VzdrG.

They added: "Alternatively, anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 1878 of October 18, 2024."