‘Master of manipulation' Richard Satchwell planned Tina's murder for months as ‘alibi mode' & kill plot details revealed
EVIL killer Richard Satchwell spent MONTHS planning his wife's murder, The Irish Sun can reveal.
Cops believe the monster hatched his
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Richard Satchwell spent months planning his wife's murder
Credit: John Delea - The Sun Dublin
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Tina Satchwell's body was buried under the stairs of her Cork home
Credit: Collect
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Richard Satchwell was found guilty of murdering his wife
Detectives also suspect his decision to tell
At the time, Satchwell claimed his wife had taken €26,000 from the sale of a
He then sent an email to a company selling monkeys claiming his wife was going to leave him. He also collected his dole. The maniac was even looking for
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He then buried Tina under the stairs of their home in Youghal, Co
One senior investigator told The Irish Sun on Sunday: 'The speed with which he flew into alibi mode would suggest a certain degree of planning in this horrific crime.
'He did a number of things very quickly and he put a lot of things into action after killing his wife.
'Once he had completed the murder, he then had a story in place about the
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'He was also a great actor and had everything planned for the sole purpose of avoiding being arrested for the murder of a completely innocent woman.
'He had to have a strategy and that was playing the victim. He was a master of manipulation.'
'LACKED EMPATHY'
They added: 'He showed elements where he lacked empathy with her
After she was formally reported missing in May 2017 by the killer, Gardai soon established that she had no bank account, driving licence or even a passport.
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At the time, Gardai had engaged with the killer and encouraged him to officially report her missing.
As they made public appeals, there were reported sightings of a woman matching Tina's description in the
REPORTED SIGHTING
We can reveal one of the sightings was made by a journalist.
When Gardai were unable to identify her location, the decision was made to search their home on June 7, 2017. At that time, the search was aimed at recovering evidence of domestic violence.
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Satchwell told Gardai at the time she had been abusive to him, but that he had a bottle of Cava in one of her red shoes ready for her return.
Detectives also believed he 'grew in confidence' after the search did not recover Tina's remains.
'ENJOYED BEING IN THE SPOTLIGHT'
The investigator added: 'Each time there was a search or a reported sighting of Tina, he grew in confidence because he knew all along she was under the stairs.
'He enjoyed being in the spotlight and it excited him. Gardai were dealing with a lot of sightings.
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'Cops weren't searching for a body because there was no evidence at that time to suggest she was dead.
'Gardai also had no basis in law or evidence to search for a body.' Gardai also suspect Satchwell was paranoid and wrongly believed Tina was having an affair. She had also gone from living in a nice house in Fermoy to squalor in Youghal due to Satchwell's obsession with animals.
'He had to have a strategy and that was playing the victim. He was a master of manipulation.'
Senior investigator
Cops continued to make appeals on
Detectives believe this particular search gave him 'greater confidence' that he would escape justice. The investigator told us: 'That search emboldened him even more and he was out in public appealing for information. He had perfected his act. When nothing was found, he was convinced he was in the clear.
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'He was trying to generate sympathy for himself, when all along he was nothing more than a cold-blooded killer.'
Following the search in 2018 and as the investigation continued through
COVER STORY UNRAVELLED
It was led by Senior Investigating Officer Anne Marie Twomey, Incident Room Co-ordinator Dave Kelleher and their team of detectives and uniformed officers.
By that stage, Gardai were satisfied that Satchwell had lied about the amount of
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Over the coming months, his cover story began to unravel when Gardai recovered a
Gardai also established that he had searched for 'quick lime' — a substance which can be used to accelerate the decomposition of bodies and prevent the smell of decay.
NEW SEARCH
Detectives established the couple had returned to their home, but Tina had never left it again. The decision was made to search the home once more in October 2023.
Gardai had to receive special permission to knock walls down and search every inch of the home.
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If they had failed to recover her body, it would have cost the State over €200,000 to repair the
But
Tina's family said outside
Satchwell is currently being held in
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Tina's relatives, Lorraine and Sarah Howard, speaking outside court after the verdict
Credit: 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved
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