Man stabbed in Galway was US national

Man stabbed in Galway was US national


Trevor Quinn

A man who was stabbed to death in Galway on Sunday evening, July 31, and was reportedly a Mayo native was actually an American citizen, The Mayo News understands.
The victim of the attack in Salthill, named as Kevin Joyce, was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and had only moved to Ireland in 2000. He spent time in Letterkenny before returning to the USA for a number of years.
In the last two to three years, the man is believed to have returned to Ireland, where he resided briefly in Ballinrobe, Westport and, more recently, Galway city.
A Garda Spokesperson confirmed that the body of the deceased man has still not been released. The spokesperson added that an independent post-mortem is being carried out, but because the victim has no family in Ireland, there is some confusion about when or where a funeral is likely to take place.
The deceased man was found at approximately 10.30pm on the first floor of an apartment block at Apartment 1, 183 Upper Salthill, after being stabbed numerous times. Initial examinations confirmed that Mr Joyce died from excessive bleeding.
The Gardaí have confirmed that Maura Thornton (30), who lived in the apartment, was found in the vicinity of the area in a highly distressed state. Thornton was subsequently charged with the man’s murder.
Giving evidence at a sitting of Galway District Court on Tuesday last, investigating Garda Greg Fleming of Salthill Garda Station said that in response to the charge and caution, the accused had said: “May he rest in peace.”
Thornton was granted legal aid and remanded into further custody. She is due to appear before the Court of Criminal Justice today (Tuesday). While in custody at Mountjoy women’s prison, defence solicitor Adrian MacLynn requested that Thornton receive medical and psychiatric assessments.