10 Canadian Prison Officers Were Charged In The Death Of A Young Indigenous Inmate
On December 22, charges were laid in relation to the death of Jonathan Henoche, 33, while he was a prisoner at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary in St. John’s in November of 2019. The St. John's inmate death was ruled a homicide and 10 corrections officers have been charged.
According to the police release, the officers responsible are aged between 28 and 51. The charges are as follows:
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- 51 year old man – manslaughter and failure to provide necessaries of life
- 35 year old man – manslaughter
- 30 year old man – manslaughter
- 44 year old man – criminal negligence causing death
- 41 year old man – criminal negligence causing death
- 38 year old woman – criminal negligence causing death
- 36 year old woman – criminal negligence causing death
- 34 year old man – criminal negligence causing death
- 28 year old man – criminal negligence causing death
- 28 year old man – criminal negligence causing death
CBC News reports that Henoche was an Inuk man from Nain, in Newfoundland and Labrador. At the time of his death, he was awaiting trial for the first-degree murder of an 88-year-old.
According to the news outlet, two guards had allegedly entered Henoche's cell on the night of his death. After a physical altercation, he was later pronounced dead.
Henoche was originally arrested in 2016 and died in 2019. Now, over a year later, charges have been laid.
The accused have been released from custody under conditions and will appear in court on February 11, 2021, says the police release.
The names of the corrections officers have not been released at this time.