The discovery of a body on the outskirts of north Belfast has confirmed the worst fears of the family of Alan McCullough, who disappeared more than a week ago from his lower Shankill home.
It seems this former associate of Johnny Adair has met the most brutal end at the hands of his erstwhile UDA/UFF comrades, who used false assurances to lure him back to Belfast and into a deadly trap.
The suggestion is that the UDA/UFF believed he was involved in the murders of John Gregg and Jonathan Stewart; and, under the malign code which operates among paramilitaries, McCullough's fate was sealed.
This murder will focus attention again on the state of the UDA ceasefire declared earlier this year after the expulsion of Adair's supporters from the lower Shankill.
However, given McCullough's background, activities and associations, there had been little doubt that the UDA/UFF was responsible and this was confirmed by a claim last night.
People will wonder how much credence can be placed on ceasefire statements and public pronouncements when such murders are taking place.
No-one can be in any doubt as to the ruthlessness of the UDA/UFF and other paramilitary groups, but this latest chilling death shows how far removed they are from normal, civilised behaviour.
This brutality and gangsterism is not confined to the loyalist groups, of course.
It must not be forgotten that the family of Gareth O'Connor continue to wait for news of their missing son.
Republicans are believed to have abducted and murdered the Armagh man, who faces Real IRA membership charges.
As was witnessed with the Disappeared, the IRA issued death sentences against a number of individuals and then denied families the right to bury their dead.
The O'Connor family deserve to know the fate of their son and denying them this information is unforgivable.
As for the killers of Alan McCullough, the police must move quickly to make arrests.
However, given the bloody history of this feud, the likelihood of further violence remains high.
