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January 30th, 1972 stands as among the deadliest – and consequential – dates in thirty years of conflict in the region.

Within the community where it happened – the legacy of the tragic events are displayed on the structures and seared in people's minds.

A civil rights march was conducted on a chilly yet clear day in Derry.

The march was a protest against the system of detention without trial – detaining individuals without due process – which had been put in place following an extended period of unrest.

Soldiers from the Parachute Regiment fatally wounded 13 people in the district – which was, and still is, a strongly Irish nationalist population.

One image became especially iconic.

Pictures showed a Catholic priest, the priest, displaying a stained with blood fabric as he tried to shield a crowd moving a teenager, the injured teenager, who had been fatally wounded.

Media personnel recorded much footage on the day.

The archive includes the priest telling a journalist that soldiers "gave the impression they would shoot indiscriminately" and he was "totally convinced" that there was no provocation for the shooting.

That version of what happened was rejected by the original examination.

The Widgery Tribunal found the soldiers had been fired upon initially.

During the negotiation period, the ruling party commissioned another inquiry, in response to advocacy by family members, who said the first investigation had been a cover-up.

In 2010, the conclusion by the inquiry said that on balance, the military personnel had discharged weapons initially and that not one of the individuals had been armed.

The contemporary Prime Minister, the leader, expressed regret in the government chamber – saying fatalities were "without justification and unacceptable."

Law enforcement started to look into the matter.

A military veteran, identified as the accused, was brought to trial for murder.

Indictments were filed regarding the fatalities of James Wray, 22, and twenty-six-year-old another victim.

The defendant was also accused of trying to kill several people, other civilians, further individuals, another person, and an unnamed civilian.

There is a judicial decision protecting the veteran's privacy, which his lawyers have argued is essential because he is at danger.

He stated to the Saville Inquiry that he had only fired at individuals who were possessing firearms.

The statement was disputed in the final report.

Material from the examination was unable to be used straightforwardly as proof in the criminal process.

In court, the defendant was hidden from public behind a privacy screen.

He spoke for the first time in court at a proceeding in December 2024, to reply "not responsible" when the charges were presented.

Kin of those who were killed on the incident made the trip from Londonderry to the courthouse daily of the case.

A family member, whose brother Michael was killed, said they were aware that listening to the trial would be painful.

"I remember everything in my recollection," he said, as we examined the main locations referenced in the trial – from the street, where Michael was fatally wounded, to the nearby the area, where the individual and William McKinney were fatally wounded.

"It returns me to where I was that day.

"I participated in moving Michael and place him in the vehicle.

"I went through every moment during the evidence.

"But even with enduring everything – it's still worthwhile for me."