Murder of Michaela McAreavey
Michaela McAreavey | |
|---|---|
Michaela Harte celebrated Tyrone's win in the 2003 All-Ireland SFC final with brother Matthew (left) and father Mickey, manager of the team (centre) | |
| Born | Michaela Harte December 31, 1983 Glencull, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland |
| Died | 10 January 2011 (aged 27) Grand Gaube, Rivière du Rempart District, Mauritius |
| Cause of death | Strangulation |
| Body discovered | 10 January 2011, Legends (afterwards renamed LUX Grand Gaube) Hotel in Grand Gaube, Mauritius |
| Resting place | St Malachy's Cemetery, Ballymacilroy |
| Alma mater | St Mary's University College, Belfast Queen's University Belfast |
| Occupation | Teacher |
| Employer | St Patrick's Academy, Dungannon |
| Known for | Association with the Tyrone Gaelic football team, Participation in The Rose of Tralee, |
| Spouse | John McAreavey |
| Parent(s) | Mickey and Marian Harte |
Michaela McAreavey, née Harte (Irish: Micheáilín Mhic Giolla Riabhaigh née Ní hÁirt, 31 December 1983 – 10 January 2011) was found strangled in the bath of a hotel room in Mauritius, where she had travelled for her honeymoon. The daughter of Tyrone's multiple All-Ireland Senior Football Championship-winning Gaelic football manager Mickey Harte, her death and subsequent events prompted continuing widespread international media coverage.
It was the first murder of a tourist in Mauritius, and the Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam expressed his sympathy to the Harte and McAreavey families. The two hotel workers who were accused of her murder were tried and declared not-guilty by the Supreme Court of Mauritius: they were acquitted on 12 July 2012.