13/01/2011

Accused 'Blames Others' In Harte Murder

A police statement has been made on behalf of one of three men accused of the murder of Michaela McAreavey in Mauritius.

Raj Theekoy, accused of conspiracy to murder, is said to have implicated two other men charged with murder.

Michaela, 27, the daughter of Tyrone Gaelic Football Manager Mickey Harte, was found strangled on Monday while on honeymoon.

She married John McAreavey, a member of Down's Gaelic Football Team, on 30 December.

The electronic key cards and CCTV footage were key in making the arrests.

The two men accused of murder are 29-year-old Avinash Treebhoowoon and 41-year-old Sandip Moneea.

All three men, currently remanded in police custody, will return to court next Wednesday, when they are expected either to be formally charged or released.

Last night, a police chief in Mauritius said that skin tissue found under the fingernails of Mrs McAreavey could prove crucial to the police case against the three men charged over her killing.

It is believed that Mrs McAreavey's body will return home this evening with a funeral planned for early next week.

Mrs McAreavey's husband, John said: "I love my wife, very, very much and my world revolved around her.

"I can't describe in words how lost I feel as Michaela is not just the light of my life - she is my life," Mr McAreavey said.

The funeral Mass is expected to take place at the church where she was married - St Malachy's in Ballymacilroy, County Tyrone.

(BMcN/GK)

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14 March 2013
John McAreavey Settle's With Irish Daily Mail
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