Gardai to reexamine prison death after cellmate becomes chief suspect in recent brutal murder

Exclusive - Sources say out of an abundance of caution officers are set to reexamine the death that occurred earlier this year - as they continue to investigate the extremely violent prisoner who is suspected to have stabbed Martin Salinger in the neck on Saturday. There are fears that the suspect could have been responsible for more than one killing.

Gardai are set to reexamine the death of a man in prison earlier this year - after it emerged that the chief suspect in last weekend’s murder was in a cell with him at the time.

Sources have confirmed to this paper gardai and the Inspector of Prisons are to look again at the death of a man in Dublin’s Cloverhill Prison earlier this year - after Martin Salinger was found brutally murdered in his cell last Saturday.

They are doing so as it has emerged that the chief suspect in the murder of Salinger was also housed in a cell with the man who was found dead earlier this year.

At the time this man’s death was deemed to be of natural causes - but there are now concerns about that finding given the murder of Salinger over the weekend.

READ MORE: Murder investigation launched after prisoner slashed with piece of broken kettle

READ MORE: Prisoner facing deportation found dead in Cloverhill Prison cell

Sources say out of an abundance of caution officers are set to reexamine the death that occurred earlier this year - as they continue to investigate the extremely violent prisoner who is suspected to have stabbed Salinger in the neck on Saturday. There are fears that the suspect could have been responsible for more than one killing.

It comes as we can also reveal that gardai have now ruled out a broken kettle as being the weapon used to stab Salinger in the neck. Sources say another cell mate attacked by the suspect was slashed with a broken kettle - but it is now believed Mr Salinger was not stabbed. Sources say it’s believed instead that he sustained horrific injuries to his neck and body from a sustained beating.

The chief suspect meanwhile is being housed in a close observation unit and is isolated from the rest of the prison population. It comes after detectives arrested him and released him without charge on Monday. A file is now being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions on the matter.

When contacted about the investigation, the Irish Prison Service declined to comment.

Meanwhile the Irish Prison Service is also dealing with the death of another man in Cloverhill Prison on Monday. The man, who was a suspected illegal immigrant who was facing deportation, was found dead in his cell in the remand prison on Monday morning. It is understood there is no suspicion of foul play in his death.

In a statement the Irish Prison Service said it “can confirm that there was a death of a person in the custody of Cloverhill Prison on 7th October 2024.

“All deaths in custody are investigated by the Irish Prison Service, the Inspector of Prisons and An Garda Síochána, where circumstances warrant. The cause of death is determined by the Coroner’s Office. The Irish Prison Service wish to express our condolences to the deceased’s family and friends.”

This week we revealed how murder victim Salinger (43) was also badly assaulted just two weeks ago. Salinger, who was awaiting trial for firearms and drugs offences, was attacked by three inmates on September 30.

It is not yet clear if the incident has any connection to his murder on the weekend. However sources say there were suspicions that Salinger was involved in trying to smuggle drugs into the prison - and there are concerns over a possible dispute surrounding that.

Mr Salinger was well known in the Ballyfermot area and was involved in a horse and carriage business.

Tributes have since poured out on social media for Mr Salinger, who was known to some pals as “Cramps.”

“Rip cramps me owl pal, may you get the best bed in heaven, you’ve left everyone who you met with great memories and laughs that will last a lifetime (sic),” one pal wrote.

His son also paid tribute in a social media post writing: “Love you Da,” along with love heart emojis.

Mr Salinger had been charged over a gun and drug seizure on August. A handgun and €20,000 worth of cannabis were recovered by the Dublin Crime Response Team and the Garda Armed Support Unit, at a property in Ballyfermot on August 15. He was not regarded as a senior criminal and ran his own horse and carriage business in central Dublin.

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