Career
The bodies were found in a fume-filled car in Castlerock on May 19, 1991. Howell, a native of Portadown and a dentist by occupation, was a deeply religious father of ten and a former lay preacher. After his wife"s death Howell remarried.
Howell confessed his role in the murders to elders in his church who urged him to inform police.
He pleaded guilty to the murders on 18 November 2010 and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was told he must serve a minimum 21 year jail term.
His former lover Hazel Stewart, a co-accused in the case, was found guilty of murder in March, 2011, and sentenced to life imprisonment. On 17 May 2011 Howell pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting nine women patients in his surgery over a period of several years.
