Richard Satchwell received a life sentence for murdering his wife, Tina, in their Cork home over eight years ago. After a nearly five-week trial, the Central Criminal Court jury deliberated for just under nine-and-a-half hours before convicting him.
According to RTE, Mr Justice Paul McDermott heard victim impact statements from Tina’s family before imposing the mandatory life sentence. Tina’s sister, Lorraine Howard, referred to her by her maiden name, Tina Dingivan, and said Satchwell kept her buried under the stairs to maintain control, leaving the family in anguish over her fate.
Satchwell reported Tina missing in March 2017, claiming she vanished with €26,000 in savings. In October 2023, gardaà found her remains buried in the living room. Satchwell then claimed Tina attacked him with a chisel, died during his defense, and he hid her body in a freezer before burying it under the stairs and sealing it with cement.
The prosecution dismissed his story as absurd, noting his 6ft2″ stature compared to Tina’s small, eight-stone frame. The defense argued there was no proof of intent to kill. After nine hours and 28 minutes, the jury unanimously found Satchwell guilty of intending to kill or seriously harm his wife.
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