Dublin-based family murder trial hears daughter may have tried to escape noose

The third day of a Dublin-based French woman's trial for the murder of her 29-year-old daughter in an Icelandic hotel room heard testimony suggesting the deceased may have struggled against her attacker. Catherine Mancel, the daughter, was described by her aunt, Yen Ting, as "not independent" and "very close to her parents."

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not independent and was very close to her parents.

Yen Ting testified via video link from France, stating that Catherine was "quite shy" and did not speak much. While Catherine showed no developmental difficulties and could hold normal conversations, she was "a bit fragile," her aunt acknowledged. When the topic of moving out arose, Catherine expressed contentment living with her parents and no desire to leave.

The family had traveled to Reykjavik in June of the previous year, ostensibly for a final holiday before enacting a suicide pact. However, the bodies of Catherine and her father, Emeric Mancel, were discovered a week later at the luxury Reykjavik Edition Hotel on June 14th, 2025. The mother, Ming Ting Mancel, initially confessed to killing both her husband and daughter at the scene but later changed her plea to not guilty, alleging her husband committed the murders.

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But she was a bit fragile.

Yen Ting last saw Catherine in the summer of 2018 and maintained contact with her sister, Ming Ting, via the WeChat app, as Ming Ting had been living abroad for many years. Their last exchange was a brief WeChat message from Ming Ting on Wednesday, June 11th, stating she was going to receive a package soon. Yen Ting found the message unusually short and uncharacteristic of her sister.

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I killed two people

Five days later, Yen Ting received the package, which contained souvenirs from Iceland and a ring belonging to Ming Ting Mancel. This was two days after Catherine and Emeric's bodies were discovered. A medical examiner's report detailed that marks on Catherine's neck indicated she may have attempted to free herself from strangulation. She ultimately died from two stab wounds, the second of which proved fatal, striking her heart.

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That was her last message.