A man to be tried next week for the murder of his wife and children was found dead in prison.
ameer Syed (37) was found unresponsive in Midlands Prison after 3 pm today.
He was suspected of having his wife Seema Banu (37), daughter Asfira (11), and son Faizan (6) murdered in October 2020.
They were killed at their home in Luerin Court in Ballinteer, southern Dublin.
All three were strangled and suspected that the ligature was used for the murder.
After Garda’s investigation, Saeed at Grosvenor Lodge in Rathmines was charged with three murders.
The trial was scheduled to begin next week at the Central Criminal Court.
Investigations into the circumstances surrounding his death by the Irish Prison Services (IPS) are underway, but it is understood that no third party involvement is suspected at this stage.
A spokesman told Independent.ie: “Irish Prison Services Can Confirm the Death of Prisoners in Midland Prison [today]..
“All deaths in custody will be investigated by Irish prison services, prison inspectors, and Irish police, as appropriate.
“The cause of death is determined by the coroner’s office,” a spokesman added.
Saeed had previously been charged with assaulting his wife before he was killed and was scheduled to attend a court hearing on the matter during the murder week.
In the aftermath of a horrific discovery, Saeed was warned of Garda, who was later arrested and detained ever since.
In a media interview after the murder, he said he wanted his family to wake up every day thinking he was still with him.
“For some reason, I was able to get everything back, but if I can go back in time and get everything back, I would like to do it if possible.
“If God has given me one wish, then the only wish in my life. I want to go back and be happy with my family.
“Every day I think it’s a nightmare. When I wake up, everything is like before. I wake up and I think it’s just a bad dream. I wake up and things get back to normal I think I talk to my wife and children every day, “he said.
Syed has previously appeared in court via Videolink for a previous hearing related to this case.
A hearing date of June 15 was set, and the case was expected to last up to five weeks.
