The husband of murdered Co Tyrone woman Michaela McAreavey has opened up about the moment he discovered his wife’s body while on honeymoon in Mauritius.
John McAreavey spoke to the BBC as part of its ‘Murder in Paradise’ documentary series investigating the circumstances around the murder of former Tyrone GAA senior boss Mickey Harte’s daughter in 2011.
The three-part documentary follows journalists Darragh McIntyre and Allison Morris as they return to the island in the Indian Ocean where Michaela was strangled to death in her hotel room.
READ MORE: Murder in Paradise: New BBC documentary to examine murder of Michaela McAreavey
Describing the moment he entered the room at the Legends Hotel, John said he could see the marks on his newlywed’s wife neck and knew she had been attacked.
“After lunch Michaela decided to go back to the room to fetch her biscuits and then I realised time had sort of gone on a little bit here,” John said.
“So I went over to check and knocked on the door and didn’t get an answer. So then I walked around the side but the patio doors were closed.
“Then I went back over to the pool to look for my key but couldn’t find it so then I had to walk the whole way over to reception.
“For whatever reason they sent a bellboy with me. On the walk back I started to feel anxious because quite a bit of time had passed.
“We got to the door and he opened it. I can immediately see into the bathroom and could hear the gushing water and could see Michaela bobbing in the bath.
“I was grabbing her out and she was very, very cold and I could see the marks on her neck.
“I knew that it certainly wasn’t an accident then. I just screamed for help, the bellboy came running back and I told him to go get help.
“It was just pandemonium. I was adamant about getting the staff to perform CPR but I knew rightly she was gone.”
Two former workers at the luxury resort where she had been staying were acquitted after a high-profile trial in the summer of 2012.
Avinash Treebhoowoon and Sandip Moneea had been accused of murdering the schoolteacher following a botched robbery in the newlyweds’ room.
The second episode of Murder In Paradise airs on Monday, April 17 at 10.40pm on BBC One NI, with the full series currently available on BBC iPlayer.
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