Inmate charged after fatal beating

Ottawa police have charged one man with second-degree murder after an inmate allegedly beat another at the Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre in October.

The victim, William Renwick, 49, was taken to hospital from the Ottawa jail at 2244 Innes Rd. after he was allegedly beaten on Oct. 17. He died in hospital Sunday.

Kivi Bar Wari, 36, is charged with one count of second-degree murder. Both were inmates at the jail.

Bar Wari originally had been charged with one count of aggravated assault by Ottawa police east criminal investigators. The homicide unit upgraded that charge to murder, after Renwick succumbed to his injuries.

Renwick was at OCDC on charges laid in Arnprior, Ont. He last appeared in court on Sept. 28. At the time of his death, Renwick was awaiting resolutions for allegedly driving while suspended and trespassing on property. It's not immediately known how long he had been in custody at the jail.

Bar Wari was arrested by Ottawa police on Oct. 1 after he allegedly smashed the window of a downtown apartment building and then doused the floor with gasoline. He has been housed at the jail since.

Ottawa police patrol officers responded to a break-in at 173 Daly Ave. around 3 a.m., police said at the time.

Witnesses in the building reported hearing glass breaking and seeing a man leave the area, police said. Another witness reported smelling gasoline.

The arson unit charged Bar Wari with causing a fire with disregard for human life, possessing incendiary material for arson, breaking and entering, causing mischief and failing to comply with release orders to keep the peace and not possess weapons.

Sixteen days later, police allege, he beat Renwick.

The homicide is the latest case of fatal violence at the jail. Renwick's death comes more than two years after Marco Michaud, 36, was also killed in a beating at the Innes Road jail. Michaud was kept on life support before he, too, succumbed to his injuries. Three of the men charged in his attack pleaded guilty to manslaughter on Oct. 5.

Andrew Morrison, a spokesman for the Ministry of the Solicitor General, confirmed in a statement that “a former inmate from the Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre” died in hospital Tuesday. That date is disputed by police, who say the death occurred on Sunday.

“When a death involving an inmate occurs, it is the subject of

multiple investigations,” Morrison said.

“The Office of the Chief Coroner conducts a death investigation to determine cause and manner of death. The ministry conducts a mandatory internal investigation to determine whether all ministry policies and procedures were followed with respect to the care and custody of the deceased. ”

While Ottawa police have laid charges in both cases, Michaud's death has not yet been the subject of a coroner's inquest, which can only begin after all criminal proceedings are finished.

Bar Wari is next scheduled to appear in court on Friday.