Two men convicted in Antigua honeymoon murders

British honeymoon couple Ben and Catherine Mullany were murdered on the holiday island of Antigua Two men were convicted today of murdering British honeymoon couple Ben and Catherine Mullany on the holiday island of Antigua. Kaniel Martin, 23, and Avie Howell, 20, shot the Mullanys in their chalet in 2008. The pair, who refused to face questioning in court, had protested their innocence throughout their two month long trial, which saw more than 90 witnesses give evidence. But the men were found guilty by a jury in Antigua’s High Court in St John’s today. Mr and Mrs Mullany were both shot in the back of the head during a dawn raid at their luxury hotel chalet on the holiday island in 2008. Mr Mullany, a student physiotherapist, and Mrs Mullany, a doctor, who were staying in the five-star Cocos Hotel, had only been married just over two weeks. Mrs Mullany died instantly. Mr Mullany was flown back home to south Wales in a desperate attempt to save his life. But despite the efforts of his wife’s medical colleagues in Swansea his life-support was turned off a week after he had been shot. The couple were buried in the grounds of the same church where they had married a little over a month previously. It has taken almost three years for their killers to be brought to justice. Two weeks after killing the newlyweds, Howell and Martin then went on to murder 43-year-old shopkeeper Woneta Anderson. Mr and Mrs Mullany’s parents broke down in tears as the jury of eight men and four delivered its verdicts – following an anxious 10 hour and 20 minute wait. The family said it would never be able to comprehend the nature of the couple’s deaths. A statement said: “There is no joy at today’s verdict, just a sense of relief that after three years of waiting there is justice for our children, and for Woneta Anderson and her family. “These two individuals can never again inflict the same anguish and devastation to any other family as they have to ours.” Antigua & Barbuda guardian.co.uk

Posted by on July 27, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.