Man chokes girlfriend to death, rapes and murders her 15-year-old daughter before hanging himself
An inquest has heard how a 38-year-old Scottish laborer killed his girlfriend, her teenage daughter, and their dog in a "barbaric" attack. Authorities found the bodies of Giselle Marimon-Herrera, 37, from Colombia, and her 15-year-old daughter Allison in an apartment in Newry on March 7, 2019. They also found the body of Russell Steele, from Kilmarnock, after all three had been reported missing, the Daily Record reports
Giselle died from asphyxiation and suffocation while Allison died due to manual strangulation and suffocation, Coroner Joe McCrisken said, adding that their Chihuahua dog was also found dead. Meanwhile, Steele was found to have died by hanging. McCrisken said while there was sufficient evidence that 15-year-old Allison had been raped, he could not determine whether Giselle had been assaulted sexually.
Giselle had arrived in Northern Ireland in 2016 after separating from her husband, a statement from her sister Paola revealed, adding that Allison joined her mother the following year. According to Paola, Giselle once told her Steele was "controlling" and that she was looking to end the relationship.
Steele's colleagues Szymon Kosecki and Pawel Bronk gave statements that were read to court. According to the report, they were the last ones to have seen the family alive as they met for a night out on March 2 in Newry.
The group subsequently returned to Giselle's Glin Ree Court apartment where they saw Allison with her pet Chihuahua. Kosecki and Bronk stayed for about an hour for drinks and left the apartment around 3 am. Ward Devlin, a former partner of Giselle, told the court he alerted the authorities after she did not respond to his messages for days.
Meanwhile, Gerard Doran, a neighbor of the family, recalled seeing Steele “agitated” and “unable to stand still” while standing at the door of their apartment on March 3.
"I thought his behavior was very strange," he added. Also, a statement from Steele's ex-wife Margaret said they were married for 17 years and had two children together.
She revealed the marriage ended once she found her husband was having an affair with Giselle, before he left their Kilmarnock residence and moved to Northern Ireland.
“The killing of Giselle Marimon-Herrera and her 15-year-old daughter Allison by Russell Steele was barbaric," Coroner McCrisken said, delivering his findings. "I am satisfied he acted alone for a reason that is unknown."