The partner of one of the men accused of murdering two soldiers has told a court he was not capable of the “appalling” crime.
Lisa Leacock said she thought Brian Shivers was away at a farewell party for some Polish friends on the night of the killing.
The prosecution witness also recalled receiving a bullet in the post and abusive remarks made to her.
Mr Shivers denies the murder of Sappers Mark Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar, who were shot outside their army base in Antrim. Colin Duffy is the co-accused.
Ms Leacock told Antrim Crown Court: “The Brian that I know is not capable of those terrible acts and I was shocked and surprised when he was arrested.”
She described her reaction to the shootings.
“I was absolutely gobsmacked, disgusted, shocked and appalled,” she added.
“His (feeling) was the same.”
Sappers Quinsey (23) and Azimkar (21) were shot dead by the Real IRA as they collected pizzas with comrades outside Massereene Army base in Antrim town in March 2009.
Mr Duffy (44) from Forest Glade in Lurgan, Co Armagh, and Shivers (46) from Sperrin Mews, in Magherafelt, Co Derry, deny two charges of murder and the attempted murder of six others - three soldiers, two pizza delivery drivers and a security guard.
Ms Leacock was waiting for Mr Shivers when he arrived home on the night of the attack.
“I believed he was going to meet some friends who were returning home to say farewell,” she said.
Ms Leacock reiterated her opposition to the killing of the two soldiers.
“It is murder, it is wrong, it is how I feel about it,” she said.
She said she first learned of it when Mr Shivers brother told him to turn on the news while on the telephone.
The witness said she and her cousin had received bullets in the post at their home addresses.
She also recalled another incident of abuse in Coleraine, Co Derry.
“Brian and I went for something to eat and there was a guy there who seemed to be watching us and had approached us,” she said.
“He was just shouting that he knew where I was at on the Friday night, that I had been at Brian’s house and he was just shouting names at me.”
She said Mr Shivers socialised regularly with close friends in a pub in Magherafelt. Among his acquaintances were Dominic McGlinchey, whom she had seen with her partner five to six times and whom he had been to the pub with, Ms Leacock added.
She said she constantly needed reassurance that Mr Shivers was not cheating on her. She even checked her partner’s mobile phone for calls or texts from other women. The witness said there had been rumours about him seeing different women.
Mr Shivers, who is in regular contact with his partner, remained expressionless in the dock as she gave her evidence, including her fears of infidelity.
She explained why she had not asked him where he had been the night of the killing.
“He was home early, I was pleased that he was home early,” she recalled.
The case is expected to continue tomorrow.