Another possibility dependent upon kinship between Máel Coluim and Suibne concerns the fact that both men died within the same year. The former was the final member of the Alpínid dynasty to rule the Kingdom of Scotland, and was succeeded by his maternal-grandson, Donnchad ua Maíl Choluim. In the later stages of his career, Máel Coluim seems to have taken steps to remove potential threats to the royal succession, and in this context appears to have orchestrated the assassination of the son or grandson of a certain Boite mac Cináeda in 1033. Not only is the exact identity of this man uncertain—as he could have been either a brother or cousin of Máel Coluim—but Máel Coluim himself died under obscure circumstances. If Máel Coluim and Suibne were indeed brothers, the deaths of both men within the same year could well be connected, and could be evidence of conflict between the kings, with Suibne himself dying in battle against Máel Coluim. If Suibne was instead a son of Cináed mac Duib, Máel Coluim's move to eliminate a rival line to the succession could further evince an accommodation between Máel Coluim and Suibne in regard to the kingship. In any event, if Suibne had no familial connection with the later rulers of Galloway, it is possible that his kingdom or sub-kingdom died with him.