Star witness in Michaela McAreavey murder trial found dead

The star witness in the Michaela McAreavey murder trial in Mauritius has been found dead.

The body of Raj Theekoy (43) was discovered by police officers on wasteland near Beau Plateau in Goodlands on Sunday morning, Le Mauricien daily newspaper reported.

It cited sources as saying that investigators are looking at the possibility Theekoy’s death may have been as a result of suicide but have yet to rule out foul play at the hands of a third party.

Michaela, 27, was the only daughter of all-Ireland winning Gaelic football manager Mickey Harte.

Theekoy,a resident of Cottage, was a cleaner at the ex-Legends Hotel in Mauritius where Michaela were honeymooning when she was strangled to death in 2011.

Hotel workers Avinash Treebhoowoon and Sandip Moneea later stood trial accused of attempting to steal from the McAreaveys’ room before killing Michaela when she interrupted them.

Theekoy told their 2012 trial he heard her scream, and then saw the accused men in the vicinity of Michaela’s room shortly afterwards.

However, both accused were later acquitted of Michaela’s murder.

In June this year, 10 years later, the Mauritian government agreed to look again at the investigation after North Ireland’s first and deputy first ministers, Arlene Foster and Michelle O’Neill, pressed for more action from local authorities to reopen the case.