GALWAY CORONER Dr Ciarán McLoughlin has expressed “deepest sympathy” to the parents and friends of Manuela Riedo and to the people of Switzerland for the teenager’s “violent and tragic” death in the city in October 2007.
“This is one of the worst tragedies that has happened in Galway. It will take us some time, if ever, to get over this,” Dr McLoughlin, west Galway coroner, said at the inquest yesterday at Galway Courthouse.
The jury heard written depositions, read on behalf of Ms Riedo’s fellow student, Azaria Maurer, and Kimberley Kremer-Bertschy, one of the two college lecturers who escorted the group of 43 Swiss students to the west of Ireland in October 2007.
Depositions were also given by Martin Tierney, of Ms Riedo’s host family in Renmore, and by Sam Beardon, the artist who found her body on the morning of October 9th, 2007, and alerted gardaí.
Mr Tierney confirmed that Ms Riedo had shown him maps of the city and he had advised her not to use the shortcut along the railway, known as the military walk or “the Line”, between Ceannt Station in the city centre and the military church at Renmore.
Ms Maurer had arranged to meet Ms Riedo in the King’s Head pub on the evening of October 8th after their first day in language class. She had sent her a text just before 9pm which read “Where are you – are you not coming to the King’s Head?” On the morning of October 9th she had noticed that Ms Riedo was not in class, and had tried to phone her, but received a tone stating that the phone was not in use. Ms Riedo had been “in good spirits, she was happy, she was enjoying her stay”, Ms Maurer said.
Ms Kremer-Bertschy said Ms Riedo was a bright and polite student who “never had a problem making new friends”.
Det Sgt Brendan Carroll of Galway Garda station described the investigation into Ms Riedo’s death.
A mobile phone traffic and cell site analysis had assisted in the investigation, along with forensic evidence gathered at the scene.
Even if a Sim card was removed from a mobile phone, it was still possible to identify if it had been used and where, Det Sgt Carroll told the coroner.
On March 21st last, Mr Justice Barry White sentenced Gerald Barry (29) to life imprisonment for the murder of Ms Riedo. He also received two five-year sentences for stealing Ms Riedo’s camera and a mobile phone.
State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy gave medical evidence which indicated that Ms Riedo had died not long after she had left her host home to walk into the city to meet friends.
Death was due to asphyxia caused by neck compression, and there was no indication that she had struggled or that she had been restrained, Prof Cassidy said.
During questions, Prof Cassidy confirmed that there was a “sexual connotation” to her death.
The jury returned a verdict of unlawful death due to asphyxia caused by manual strangulation, and recommended that “no student should walk the Line alone at any time”.
The inquest heard that the route had been cleared and fitted with public lighting since Ms Riedo’s death. Ms Riedo’s parents, Hans Peter and Arlette, did not attend the hearing.
'Sense of a need for atonement'
THERE WAS a "sense of a need for atonement" on behalf of the populace after the teenager's body was found in Loughatalia, near Renmore, on October 9th, 2007, west Galway coroner Dr Ciarán McLoughlin said.
Civic representatives, including the mayor, had attended Ms Riedo's funeral in Switzerland.
The efforts of the Garda Technical Bureau, its forensic team and the Galway west scene of crime unit under Supt Tom Curley in solving this "heinous crime" had brought "some degree of relief" to the populace, he said.
"Galway is a young person's city – if you walk down Shop Street and Quay Street, the majority of young people are students and they come to Galway in the hope that they will be received with open arms. We sent a message of deepest sympathy to all of the people of Switzerland, to her family and friends."