An inquest has been told of the discovery of a dental nurse's bruised body, found partially submerged in the bath at her County Armagh residence. A police officer also revealed that upon arriving at the scene, he had developed a "working hypothesis" that Laura Marshall's death "had the hallmarks of domestic-related murder".
The 31-year-old's body was discovered in a flat on Victoria Street, Lurgan, in April 2016. At Laganside Courthouse in Belfast on Thursday, coroner Louisa Fee opened the inquest, attended by Ms Marshall's relatives, emphasising that the proceedings are not intended to assign culpability to any particular person.
Background to the case
Counsel for the coroner Aidan Sands explained that Ms Marshall had been residing in an apartment block on Victoria Street, Lurgan, alongside her partner Gary O'Dowd, who hailed from Banbridge. Their relationship had been a "difficult one", he noted, with Ms Marshall having lodged several domestic violence complaints against him.
The barrister revealed that in the weeks preceding her death, Mr O'Dowd had faced charges of assault and threats to kill, though Ms Marshall had subsequently expressed a wish to withdraw the allegations. Mr Sands indicated the inquest would examine phone communications between Ms Marshall and Mr O'Dowd.
Discovery of the body
Mr Sands stated that on 3 April 2016, a downstairs resident had reported water leaking into his flat. That evening, maintenance manager Declan Maher attended Ms Marshall's flat and accessed the bathroom. Mr Sands said: "When the door opened partially, he saw Laura Marshall lying naked in the bath with her head and shoulders partly above the water and the water still running."
Mr Sands described the bathroom as being in a "state of disarray", with the sink shattered and traces of blood visible on the walls. He noted that an initial post-mortem had revealed Ms Marshall bore bruising across her body and forehead, along with a gash on her left arm.
The barrister stated that pathologist Jack Crane concluded Ms Marshall had drowned, and that her wounds "were more likely to have been sustained in an assault rather than being accidental injuries". Nevertheless, he acknowledged that several experts had reviewed the case and there exists a "divergence of expert views as to the cause and circumstances" surrounding her death.
Police evidence and charges
Mr Sands confirmed that Mr O'Dowd was charged with Ms Marshall's murder in April 2016. The barrister noted that Mr O'Dowd had denied the charge and "had given a full account of his movements to the police in interview". The charges were subsequently dropped by the Public Prosecution Service in February 2018.
Maintenance manager Mr Maher then took the stand, recounting how he had attended the building following reports of a water leak. Upon visiting the flat below Ms Marshall's, he discovered water "pouring from the ceiling like a waterfall". He informed the court that he climbed the stairs and rapped on the door, but nobody responded.
Mr Maher went into the flat and explained he opened the bathroom door after spotting water in the corridor, stating he "believed something was badly wrong at this stage". He said: "I saw Laura Marshall lying on her front in the bath. Her head was facing towards the door. I could see her back. She was naked. There was no lights in the bathroom. The bath tap was on and the water was overflowing over the brim of the bath."
Mr Maher explained he contacted police before switching off the water taps. He added: "I saw that there was a red mark on the floor, which I presumed was blood, and that Laura had bruises or black marks on her shoulder and other areas of her body." When questioned about why he hadn't attempted to assist Ms Marshall, Mr Maher said: "I just knew she wasn't alive, I just knew by the way she was in the bath and the colour."
Officer's initial hypothesis
The court was addressed by a detective sergeant who had arrived at the flat following Mr Maher's emergency call. He said: "I noted that there were multiple bruises present on the female's body, including a circular bruise in the centre of her forehead, I also observed a deep gash on a forearm, approximately eight centimetres long and running along the length of the arm."
The officer stated he subsequently examined the bedroom and concluded that more than one individual had been lying in the bed. He stated: "From my interpretation of the scene, I declared this a suspicious death, as I had formed the opinion that this incident had the hallmarks of domestic-related murder. That two persons had been in bed, that some type of argument occurred, which resulted in the female taking refuge in the bathroom behind the locked door. Attempts to force entry had resulted in the handle coming off, both inside and out. However, the assailant was then able to open the lock on the outside. It appears that a violent assault took place in the bathroom, which resulted in damage to the room and to her having cuts and bruises in multiple parts of her body."
The detective sergeant confirmed he subsequently informed the PSNI major investigation team. Legal counsel for the Marshall family questioned the officer about whether the scene showed "quite a lot of destruction". His reply was: "A lot of destruction."
A barrister acting for Mr O'Dowd, who is anticipated to testify at the inquest, noted the cause of the bathroom sink being smashed remained unknown. He continued: "It was your job to work out what the scene presented to you and you were doing your best?" The officer confirmed: "It's a working hypothesis." The barrister pressed further: "Evidence is a very important thing when it comes to coming to conclusions about things?" The officer clarified: "It was initial hypothesis, not a conclusion."
The barrister also highlighted there was no proof of a dispute in the flat or that two individuals had been in the bed. The inquest is set to continue on Friday.
