Dermot and Carolee Donovan were speaking at the inquest into the killing of their son, Niall, (formerly from Dungannon) who was found barely conscious with a gaping stomach wound at Manse Road in Dungannon in the early hours of June 23rd, 1996.
The hearing at Belfast Coroner's Court was told by a Detective Inspector from the Historical Enquiries Team that in his opinion, the killing had been sectarian in motivation and was probably one of the first murders carried out by the Loyalist Volunteer Force.
The victim, who died from massive internal haemorrhaging fourteen hours after admission to Dungannon's South Tyrone Hospital, had been stabbed through the front of the stomach using a sharp, broad bladed weapon, possibly a kitchen knife, according to State Pathologist Professor Jack Crane.
He told Coroner John Leckey that the post mortem revealed the weapon had been thrust 'with some force' backwards and upwards into the abdomen, puncturing a major blood vessel and the bowel.
"Part of the bowel had come out and plugged the wound", he said.

Witness

The knife had been plunged some five or six inches into the body, until the tip reached the front of the victim's spine, Professor Crane noted.
The pathologist told the court in his assessment, after being stabbed Mr Donovan would still have been conscious and capable of movement.
The inquest heard from one witness, local taxi driver Dominic Donaghy, who found the victim in the foetal position lying face down on the roadway, 'moving but not crawling'.
In a statement read to the court Mr Donaghy told how his passengers at the time knew the injured man and when they turned him over saw 'blood on his stomach and his guts were out'.
"He was moving about, breathing but not speaking", the driver stated.
In his evidence Detective Inspector Ian McDonald from the HET (now charged with investigating the case) told the court there was no new evidence and no persons had been made amenable for the crime.
Forensics had reviewed Mr Donovan's clothing in a bid to gain more evidence, he noted, but with no success.
The Detective Inspector said 21 knives had been recovered from the route the victim had travelled that night, as well as properties and locations searched after the killing, but none had been linked to the incident.

Appeal

Probed on a potential motive for the murder by the Coroner, the detective said:
"There is no evidence to suggest the killing is sectarian in motive but it is my personal opinion that it is sectarian. The LVF was established in the summer of 1996, in and around the time of this killing. A number of individuals arrested and interviewed in connection with this case were later arrested in connection with loyalist paramilitary activity."
The policeman said he believed all of those originally arrested and questioned were still alive and forensic opportunities were being looked at to ascertain if anyone could be tied in.
Addressing the court on behalf of the Donovan family, Dermot Donovan, the victim's father, queried why it had taken 12 years for the inquest to be heard.
Apologising for the delay Coroner John Leckey said a review of files brought in from other districts following the centralisation of the Coroner's Office in Belfast had resulted in case backlogs being addressed.
"I'm sure this event has reopened (the killing) in a stark way for you and your family, but it is in the public interest that an inquest be held", he said
Mr Donovan said he felt it was an error of judgement the hearing hadn't taken place earlier, and that an inquest at this stage was not useful. But he urged police to keep investigating the murder.
"Keep trying hard, please", he told them.
Recording his verdict and extending his condolences to the bereaved family, the Coroner noted:
"I trust these brutal murderers will be brought to justice. The passing of the years has made it unlikely but I hope the Historical Enquiries Team's efforts will bear fruit. Because of the advances in DNA technology it would be wonderful if that worked in relation to your son. It's difficult (for you) to know the person responsible is alive and in Northern Ireland. Others know what they did but for reasons best known to themselves have kept quiet."