Dannielle Finlay-Jones’ dating app murder accused Ashley Gaddie found dead in prison cell

Dating app murder accused Ashley Gaddie has been found dead in his prison cell, 16 months after young Sydney teacher Dannielle Finlay-Jones was killed.

Ashley Gaddie has been found dead in his prison cell 16 months after the death of Dannielle Finlay-Jones

A serial domestic violence offender, accused of the horrific dating app murder of a young Sydney teacher in 2022, has taken his own life in prison.

Ashley Gaddie committed suicide in his cell at Clarence Correctional Centre about 3.15pm on Saturday, some 16 months after police alleged he killed Dannielle Finlay-Jones at Cranebrook, in Sydney’s far west.

Sources said Gaddie had been in a common area of the jail in the afternoon, before returning to his single cell where prison officers later found him deceased.

Dannielle Finlay-Jones murder suspect, Ashley Gaddie pictured on Fletchers Lookout in Blue Mountains.

In a statement, Serco - the operator of the maximum security prison - said an investigation is underway into Gaddie’s death, which would then be passed on to the coroner.

“A 35-year-old man has died at Clarence Correctional Centre on Saturday, April 6, 2024,” the statement read.

“The man was found unresponsive in his room by staff and was pronounced deceased at 16.04pm.

“Serco, Corrective Services NSW, and NSW Police are investigating the incident. All deaths in custody are subject to a coronial inquest.”

Gaddie had a lengthy history of assaulting and harassing women, and was serving a two-year sentence for stalking and choking a former lover - as well as being on bail for another alleged assault of a woman - at the time Ms Finlay-Jones was killed.

The pair had met on an online dating app and been on two dates prior to December 17, 2022 – when they went to a Marsden Park pub, so she could introduce him to her friends.

Ms Finlay-Jones with her brother Blake. Picture: Facebook

That night Gaddie went back with Ms Finlay-Jones to her friends’ home where she was staying.

One of her friends was woken at 3am by what they believed were the sounds of “loud violent sex” between Ms Finlay-Jones and Gaddie.

Police would later allege those noises were actually Gaddie murdering the bubbly young teacher.

But it was not until some 12 hours later at 2.30pm the next day, when Ms Finlay-Jones’ friends realised the new couple had not surfaced from the night before, that they went into the spare room to check on her.

There they allegedly found Ms Finlay-Jones’ body lying on the floor, suffering major head injuries.

Ashley Gaddie. Picture: Facebook

An initial post-mortem result indicated the 31-year-old was strangled to death.

Gaddie had allegedly cut through the fly screen of the bedroom window and escaped, before spending several days on the run.

During the almost 72 hours he was on the run, Gaddie called his mother and claimed he was innocent of the crime for which police were hunting him.

“We slept in separate beds,” he allegedly said over the phone.

“I didn’t do it, I f****** panicked … I woke up at 9.30 and there’s a f****** body in the next room.”

Gaddie was eventually tracked by NSW Police to the edge of a cliff in the Blue Mountains – where a 12-hour standoff ensued, as he spoke with negotiators before climbing back to safety and being arrested by police.

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