The beating of an inmate at the Saskatoon Correctional Centre has now resulted in his death. Cornell Henry was assaulted at the institution October 23. He died in hospital this morning.
The inmate, who was taken into the centre on October 9, was found injured in his room by staff at the centre. Saskatchewan Justice officials say Henry was cleared of the charges he was being held for on Tuesday, making him officially not an inmate of the province.
“Considering the shape that Mr. Henry was in, the Crown took it upon themselves to approach a judge for consideration to have those charges withdrawn,” says Saskatchewan Justice representative, Drew Wilby. “Part of that determination is made if someone can appear in court on those charges or not. The state that Mr. Henry was in was pretty poor, and of course, as of this morning he’s now passed away.”
Two inmates are facing charges. Raven Constant and Nathan Ermine were charged with aggravated assault last week. Those charges are now expected to be escalated to murder. Constant pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in a trial taking place yesterday in connection to an incident in 2013.
The Saskatoon Police Services Major Crimes Unit is still investigating. The correctional centre, as well as the provincial coroners office, have also launched investigations.