diff --git a/src/istgt.c b/src/istgt.c
index adff426d..b8a70964 100644
--- a/src/istgt.c
+++ b/src/istgt.c
@@ -2352,8 +2352,8 @@ fatal_handler(int sig)
 	void *array[20];
 	size_t size;
 
-	fprintf(stderr, "Fatal signal received: %d\n", sig);
-	fprintf(stderr, "Stack trace:\n");
+    ISTGT_ERRLOG("Fatal signal received: %d\n", sig);
+	ISTGT_ERRLOG("Stack trace:\n");
 
 	size = backtrace(array, 20);
 	backtrace_symbols_fd(array, size, STDERR_FILENO);
diff --git a/src/istgt_lu.h b/src/istgt_lu.h
index a3bfb4fa..047be542 100644
--- a/src/istgt_lu.h
+++ b/src/istgt_lu.h
@@ -904,6 +904,10 @@ typedef struct istgt_lu_disk_t {
 	pthread_mutex_t luworker_rmutex[ISTGT_MAX_NUM_LUWORKERS];
 	pthread_cond_t luworker_rcond[ISTGT_MAX_NUM_LUWORKERS];
 
+
+    // cleanup thread for spec mempool entries
+    pthread_t deadlist_cleanup_thread;
+
 	/* stats */
 	struct {
 		uint64_t	used;
diff --git a/src/replication.c b/src/replication.c
index f3a1df32..d7c479b4 100644
--- a/src/replication.c
+++ b/src/replication.c
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@ int replication_initialized = 0;
 size_t rcmd_mempool_count = RCMD_MEMPOOL_ENTRIES;
 struct timespec istgt_start_time;
 
+static void destroy_rcommon_deadlist(spec_t *spec);
+static void destroy_resp_list(rcommon_cmd_t *rcomm_cmd, int copies_sent);
 static int start_rebuild(void *buf, replica_t *replica, uint64_t data_len);
 static void handle_mgmt_conn_error(replica_t *r, int sfd, struct epoll_event *events,
     int ev_count);
@@ -4352,6 +4354,18 @@ initialize_replication()
 void
 destroy_volume(spec_t *spec)
 {
+	int ret = 0;
+	void *res;
+
+	pthread_cancel(spec->deadlist_cleanup_thread);
+	ret = pthread_join(spec->deadlist_cleanup_thread, &res);
+	if (ret != 0 || res != PTHREAD_CANCELED) {
+		REPLICA_NOTICELOG("pthread_join returned ret:%d res:%p for mempool cleanup thread\n", ret, res);
+		abort();
+	}
+
+	destroy_rcommon_deadlist(spec);
+
 	ASSERT0(get_num_entries_from_mempool(&spec->rcommon_deadlist));
 	destroy_mempool(&spec->rcommon_deadlist);
 
@@ -4369,11 +4383,34 @@ destroy_volume(spec_t *spec)
 	return;
 }
 
+static void
+destroy_rcommon_deadlist(spec_t *spec)
+{
+    int mempool_stale_entry, i;
+    rcommon_cmd_t *rcomm_cmd;
+
+    mempool_stale_entry = get_num_entries_from_mempool(&spec->rcommon_deadlist);
+    REPLICA_NOTICELOG("Cleaning up rcommon entry:%d\n", mempool_stale_entry)
+
+    while (mempool_stale_entry) {
+        rcomm_cmd = get_from_mempool(&spec->rcommon_deadlist);
+
+        destroy_resp_list(rcomm_cmd, rcomm_cmd->copies_sent + rcomm_cmd->non_quorum_copies_sent);
+        for (i = 1; i < rcomm_cmd->iovcnt + 1; i++)
+            xfree(rcomm_cmd->iov[i].iov_base);
+
+        free(rcomm_cmd);
+
+        mempool_stale_entry--;
+    }
+
+    return;
+}
+
 int
 initialize_volume(spec_t *spec, int replication_factor, int consistency_factor, int desired_replication_factor)
 {
 	int rc;
-	pthread_t deadlist_cleanup_thread;
 
 	spec->io_seq = 0;
 	TAILQ_INIT(&spec->rcommon_waitq);
@@ -4411,7 +4448,7 @@ initialize_volume(spec_t *spec, int replication_factor, int consistency_factor,
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	rc = pthread_create(&deadlist_cleanup_thread, NULL, &cleanup_deadlist,
+	rc = pthread_create(&spec->deadlist_cleanup_thread, NULL, &cleanup_deadlist,
 			(void *)spec);
 	if (rc != 0) {
 		REPLICA_ERRLOG("pthread_create(replicator_thread) failed "