In January of 2016, people started to find body parts wrapped in shopping bags on a stretch of the Grand Canal in Co. Kildare. To gardai, this looked like a gangland hit. But when the remains were identified as 33 year old Kenneth O’Brien, it was quickly determined that he was not known to be involved in anything illegal.
Why was Kenneth O’Brien killed?
This episode was researched and written by Aileen Spearin.
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Theme Music:
Quinn’s Song: The Dance Begins Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Additional Music: Allemande (Sting) by Wahneta Meixsell. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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Music:
Kevin McLeod, Quinns Song : The Dance Begins. (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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Sources:
Deirdre Reynolds, “Mystery grows over canal suitcase body as gardai reveal body on recently placed in water”, Irish Independent, (January 17th 2016)
Conor Lally, “Head and hands cut from torso found in Co Kildare”, The Irish Times, (January 18th 2016)
“Butchered by violent gang”, The Herald (January 18th 2016)
Tom Brady, “Dismembered body in canal is man in 20s”, Irish Independent (January 18th 2016)
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“Headless victim in suitcase ‘may have been killed at party’, Irish Independent (January 19th 2016)
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“Gardai believe ‘body in bag’ victim killed over grudge”, Irish Independent, (January 20th 2016)
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Ken Foy, “Text probe in canal murder”, The Herald, (January 21st 2016)
Ken Foy, “Last 24 hours of body in suitcase victim still a mystery to gardai”, The Herald, (January 22nd 2016)
“Criminal linked to dad’s killing”, The Herald, (January 22nd 2016)
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Caroline O’Doherty, “Canal murder hunt continues today”, Irish Examiner, (January 25th 2016)
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“Suitcase victim ‘killed in row over funding of drug-dealing network’”, The Herald, (January 25th 2016)
“Tools found in hunt for Kenneth’s body parts”, The Herald, (January 26th 2016)
Lynda Doyle, “Body parts found in canal at Sallins”, The Kildare Nationalist, (January 26th 2016)
Ken Foy, “Butchered dad shot once in head before body was cut up”, The Herald, (January 27th 2016)
Ken Foy, “Canal murder case gardai may go to Australia in hunt for more clues”, The Herald, (January 28th2016)
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Conor Feehan, “Funeral of butchered body-in-bag to be held on Wednesday”, The Herald, (February 1st2016)
Martin Grant, “Father’s sad farewell as ‘handsome, loving’ Kenneth is laid to rest”, The Herald, (February 4th2016)
“Burial of murdered man takes place amid deep sorrow”, The Echo, (February 4th 2016)
Laura Larkin, “Search for gun as gardai quiz two men in canal body probe”, The Herald, (February 8th 2016)
Tom Tuite, “Man charged in court with murder of Kenneth O’Brien”, The Irish Times, (February 12th 2016)
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Alison O’Riordan, “Body in canal has a ‘complicated back story’”, The Herald, (January 23rd 2018)
Michael Doyle, “Dad and son deny involvement in murder of Kenneth O’Brien whose dismembered body was found in Dublin canal, court hears”, The Irish Sun, (October 8th 2018)
Natasha Reid, “Kenneth O’Brien ;in good form’ day before remains found in canal, court hears”, The Irish Times, (October 11th 2018)
“Dubliner, who killed man found in suitcase in Kildare canal, described deceased as his ‘friend’”, Leinster Leader, (October 11th 2018)
Natasha Reid, “Murder Accused admits shooting”, Irish Examiner, (October 11th 2018)
Andrew Phelan, “’He was my friend- body in canal murder accused said, court told”, The Herald, (October 12th2018)
Andrew Phelan, “Body-in-suitcase partner collapsed at claim of affair”, The Herald, (October 13th 2018)
“Man whose body was found in Kildare canal was a ‘secretive’ person who’d had affairs- trial”, Leinster Leader, (October 14th 2018)
Andrew Phelan, “Dad gave me bag with chainsaw’, says accused’s son”, The Herald, (October 16th 2018)
Andrew Phelan, “Father told me not to come home on night victim went missing’: son of murder accused”, Irish Independent, (October 16th 2018)
Andrew Phelan, “Victim sent €52,000 to accused from Australia”, Irish Independent, (October 17th 2018)
Andrew Phelan, “Murder accused told gardai O’Brien had ‘done a runner’”, Irish Independent, (October 23rd 2018)
Nicola Tallant, “Wells recounts grim details of crime”, Sunday World, (October 28th 2018)
Andrew Phelan, “Killer shot victim in head at point-blank range, court told”, Irish Independent, (October 31st2018)
Natasha Reid, “Man’s killing was an ‘act of premeditation’ says prosecutor”, The Irish Times, (November 1st2018)
Andrew Phelan, “Accused looked up ferry timetable before he shot Kenneth dead, court told”, The Herald, (November 1st2018)
Andrew Phelan, “Father was killed in an ‘execution’, court is told”, Irish Independent, (November 2nd 2018)
Andrew Phelan, “Horror of killing should not decide verdict, jury told, Irish Independent, (November 3rd2018)
Natasha Reid, “Jury retires in Grand Canal suitcase body murder”, The Irish Times, (November 5th 2018)
Natasha Reid, “Paul Wells Snr given life sentence for murder of Kenneth O’Brien”, (November 6th 2018)
Niall O’Connor, “Chainsaw killer Paul Wells prime suspect in murder of bookie Dessie Fox in Kildare 30 years ago”, The Irish Mirror, (November 7th 2018)
Andrew Phelan, “Chainsaw butcher had dark past only hinted at in his trial”, Irish Independent, (November 10th2018)
John Mooney, “Portrait of a killer: Paul Wells”, The Times U.K., (November 11th 2018)
Eamon Dillon, “Killer who cut up pal went to shops for clean-up kit”, The Herald, (November 12th 2018)
Alison O’Riordan, “I thought I was going to be shot’, body-in-canal killer’s son told gardai”, The Herald, (November 7th2019)#
Alison O’Riordan, “Killer dad asked son to join IRA and carry explosives, court told”, Irish Independent, (November 8th2019)
Alison O’Riordan, “Convicted murderer threatened if he did not put bullet in own son, ‘the IRA would’”, Irish Examiner, (November 14th 2019)
“Son disposed of bloody chainsaw”, Irish Examiner, (November 23rd 2019)
Alison O’Riordan, “Killer’s son guilty over disposing of chainsaw”, The Herald, (November 23rd 2019)
Alison O’Riordan, “Murderer’s daughter says family are ‘disgusted’ at what father did”, Irish Examiner, (February 11th2020)
Alison O’Riordan, “Jailed for 18 months for impeding investigation”, Irish Examiner, (February 18th 2020)