A Scottish manual worker killed his partner before raping and killing her teenage daughter, an inquest in Co Armagh has heard.

Coroner Joe McCrisken described the deaths of Giselle Marimon-Herrera, 37, from Colombia, and her 15-year-old daughter Allison as "barbaric", and "one of the most difficult" inquests he has presided over.

Their bodies were discovered in an apartment in Newry on 7 March 2019 - along with Russell Steele - by police after they had all been reported missing.

Mr McCrisken found Ms Marimon-Herrera died from asphyxiation and suffocation and Miss Marimon-Herrera died due to manual strangulation and suffocation. Their chihuahua dog was also found dead.

He said he could not be satisfied that Ms Marimon-Herrera had been sexually assaulted, but that there is evidence her daughter had been raped.


Steele was found to have died by hanging and had intended to die.

Opening proceedings at Armagh court house on Thursday, Mr McCrisken thanked the Police Service of Northern Ireland for a "genuinely excellent" investigation.

He heard evidence about events in the run up to the deaths, including a statement from Ms Marimon-Herrera's sister, Paola.

She described how her sister had arrived in Northern Ireland in 2016 after separating from her Portuguese husband, and was followed by her daughter in 2017.

She said her sister had felt Steele was "controlling" and had wanted to end the relationship.

Image: Russell Steele had a history of 'aggression and violence', the inquest heard

PSNI Investigating Officer Victoria Holmes said text messages exchanged between Steele and Ms Marimon-Herrera revealed a recent argument which included an attempt by her to end the relationship.

The court heard from Ward Devlin, an ex-partner of Ms Marimon-Herrera, about how he raised the alarm after she failed to respond to messages for several days.

Neighbour Gerard Doran recalled seeing Steele standing at the front door of his apartment block four days before the bodies of the three were found, holding a holdall and a plastic bag, and looking "agitated" and "unable to stand still".

"I thought his behaviour was very strange at the time," he told the inquest.

An examination of a laptop found in the Glin Ree Court apartment revealed research on lethal doses of paracetamol at 5.20am on 4 March.

Police also found information on the phones of both mother and daughter had been deleted.

The inquest heard Steele had a criminal record, which included a conviction for an assault which led to an eight-month prison sentence.

It also heard from Steele's ex-wife of 17 years, Margaret Steele, who he had two children with.

The marriage ended after she discovered her husband was having an affair with Ms Marimon-Herrera, who he had previously met in Spain before they fell back in touch on social media.

Delivering his findings, Mr McCrisken said: "The killing of Giselle Marimon-Herrera and her 15-year-old daughter Allison by Russell Steele was barbaric.

"Giselle Marimon-Herrera was a woman of small stature. Her 15-year-old daughter and her would have been unable to offer any resistance against an attack by Russell Steele.

"I am satisfied that he acted alone for a reason that is unknown. The killings were an impulsive act carried out by an individual with a history of aggression and violence."