Murder of Michaela McAreavey
Encyclopedia
Michaela McAreavey born 31 December 1983 was murdered on 10 January 2011, while she was on honeymoon
in Mauritius
. She was found strangled to death in her hotel room. Her death prompted international media coverage and a personal apology from Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam
to her family.
teacher from Glencull (Ballygawley, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
) and the daughter of Tyrone gaelic football
manager Mickey Harte
.
. The weather outside in the hospitality area was hot and humid. She had left a box of chocolate covered biscuits in the refrigerator and had returned to the room to retrieve it for tea. Investigators believe she was wrestled to the ground on entering her room, and strangled. She was put into the bath tub and the water was turned on. This may have been an attempt to obfuscate the true cause of death. Her body was discovered by her husband soon after.
tests were taken on the suspects. Dassen Narraien, and Seenarain Mungoo were arrested the following week and charged with charge of aiding and abetting a crime. Narraien and Mungoo were both security officers at the hotel. Mungoo was released and had all charges against him dropped on 12 February 2011.
Mary McAleese
, First Minister of Northern Ireland Peter Robinson
and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness
. Mourners from both nationalist and loyalist communities paid their respects and offered condolences.
and in Britain
.
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
in Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
. She was found strangled to death in her hotel room. Her death prompted international media coverage and a personal apology from Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam
Navin Ramgoolam
Navinchandra Ramgoolam, GCSK, FRCP, MP is the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs & External Communications, as well as Leader of the National Assembly. Being the leader of the Mauritian Labour Party, he serves as Member of parliament for constituency No...
to her family.
Victim
Michaela McAreavey, née Michaela Harte (born 31 December 1983), was a 27-year-old Irish languageIrish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
teacher from Glencull (Ballygawley, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
) and the daughter of Tyrone gaelic football
Tyrone GAA
The Tyrone County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Tyrone GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Tyrone. The county board is also responsible for the Tyrone inter-county teams....
manager Mickey Harte
Mickey Harte
Michael "Mickey" Harte is the current manager of Tyrone Gaelic football team. He has led the team to three All-Ireland titles, three Ulster titles, one National League, and four Dr...
.
Murder
At around 15:40, on 10 January 2011, Michaela left her husband, John McAreavey, to return to her hotel room at the Legends Hotel in Grand GaubeGrand Gaube
Grand Gaube is a town located in the Rivière du Rempart District, northern Mauritius. It lies on the coast of the Indian Ocean. In the 60's and 70's its population was exclusively the Mauritian Creoles and Indo Mauritians, a handful of Franco Mauritians and three shop-keepers Chinese families...
. The weather outside in the hospitality area was hot and humid. She had left a box of chocolate covered biscuits in the refrigerator and had returned to the room to retrieve it for tea. Investigators believe she was wrestled to the ground on entering her room, and strangled. She was put into the bath tub and the water was turned on. This may have been an attempt to obfuscate the true cause of death. Her body was discovered by her husband soon after.
Investigation
Three male Mauritian employees of the hotel were arrested for the murder: Avinash Treebhoowoon, Sandip Moneea and Raj Theekoy. They appeared in court in Mauritius on 12 January 2011. Treebhoowoon and Mooneea were charged with McAreavey's murder and Theeko with conspiracy to murder. DNADNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
tests were taken on the suspects. Dassen Narraien, and Seenarain Mungoo were arrested the following week and charged with charge of aiding and abetting a crime. Narraien and Mungoo were both security officers at the hotel. Mungoo was released and had all charges against him dropped on 12 February 2011.
Funeral
McAreavey's funeral, which took place on 17 January 2011 at the same church where she was married (St Malachy's, Ballymacilroy), less than one month before, was attended by thousands of mourners, including the President of IrelandPresident of Ireland
The President of Ireland is the head of state of Ireland. The President is usually directly elected by the people for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms. The presidency is largely a ceremonial office, but the President does exercise certain limited powers with absolute...
Mary McAleese
Mary McAleese
Mary Patricia McAleese served as the eighth President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She was the second female president and was first elected in 1997 succeeding Mary Robinson, making McAleese the world's first woman to succeed another as president. She was re-elected unopposed for a second term in...
, First Minister of Northern Ireland Peter Robinson
Peter Robinson
Peter Robinson may refer to:* Peter Robinson , member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada who oversaw emigration schemes* Peter Robinson , professor at the University of Cambridge...
and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness
Martin McGuinness
James Martin Pacelli McGuinness is an Irish Sinn Féin politician and the current deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. McGuinness was also the Sinn Féin candidate for the Irish presidential election, 2011. He was born in Derry, Northern Ireland....
. Mourners from both nationalist and loyalist communities paid their respects and offered condolences.
Media coverage
The death of Michaela McAreavey attracted much media attention both in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.