Colin Howell is a Northern Irish dentist and former lay preacher who confessed in 2009 to the 1991 murders of his first wife, Lesley Howell, and his lover Hazel Stewart's husband, Trevor Buchanan, staging the deaths as a double suicide.

He gassed Lesley while she slept, drove her body to Hazel's home, and then gassed Trevor in his garage, evading justice for 18 years until his church- prompted confession led to life sentences for both Howell (minimum 21 years) and Stewart (minimum 18 years). The case, rooted in a controlling affair and religious guilt, shocked Ballymoney and inspired media like the book Let This Be Our Secret.

Case Timeline

  • 1980s : Howell, a Portadown native and dentist, marries nurse Lesley Clarke in 1983; they join Coleraine Baptist church, meeting the Buchanans. Howell pressures Lesley for abortions and begins affair with Hazel.
  • May 1991 : Murders occur amid Howell's belief in divine punishment after his son's death. Bodies found in a car with exhaust fumes, ruled suicide initially.
  • 2009 Confession : Personal crises (investment scam, assaults on patients) lead Howell to church elders, then police.
  • 2010-2011 Trials : Howell pleads guilty; Stewart convicted of murder despite duress claim.

Key Facts

  • Profile : Father of four with Lesley, devout Baptist who saw himself as untouchable. Post-murder, he remarried and had more children.
  • Control Tactics : Manipulated both women, including pressuring Hazel to assist and later attempting to influence from prison.
  • Legal Outcome : Howell remains imprisoned; Stewart released on parole around 2021 after serving minimum term.

Public and Media Impact

The story gripped Northern Ireland for its deception and religious hypocrisy, with BBC documentaries calling Howell a "psychopath" who hid in plain sight. No major latest news as of January 2026—focus remains on 2010s coverage and true-crime retellings, not active forums or trends. Forums occasionally reference it in true crime discussions, but it's not currently viral.

"A monster... who planned the killings... and got away with his crime for 18 years." – Court and media description

TL;DR : Colin Howell's calculated double murder unraveled by confession; a chilling tale of control, faith, and delayed justice. Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.