Man on remand dies 10 days after assault in his cell at the Saskatoon jail

SASKATOON The Oct. 23 attack on Cornell Henry by fellow remand inmates at the Saskatoon jail happened quickly, inside his cell, shortly after routine morning activities had started, according to the provincial Ministry of Justice.

Henry, who was 40 years old, died Thursday around 6 a.m. at Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital, the ministry announced hours later.

Raven Constant and Nathan Ermine were initially charged last week with aggravated assault in connection with the incident. The city police major crimes unit is now investigating and considering whether to pursue upgrading the charges.

According to Ministry of Justice spokesman Drew Wilby, Henry did not present himself to staff on the morning of the attack. Breakfast had already been served to the unit when Henry’s cell was checked and officers found him inside in medical distress, Wilby said. Emergency responders were called and he was rushed to hospital.

Wilby said it was “pretty clear” that Henry’s injuries were caused by someone else. Video surveillance was reviewed and “quite quickly, staff at Saskatoon Correctional Centre had at least a general idea of what had gone on,” he said.

The unit where the attack took place is a standard one for men on remand, Wilby said: two levels, a common area, some cells double-bunked, and cells locked overnight.

Henry was placed in an induced coma due to several head injuries, relatives told Postmedia News. Wilby said correctional officials met with family members earlier this week.

“I can’t imagine how difficult this is for them,” he said. “As any family would be … they were very upset. It’s their son, their brother, their uncle, that had this happen to them.”

In an unrelated case, Constant, 23, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to second-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault in connection with a deadly, random stabbing spree in Saskatoon on New Year’s Day 2013.

Constant had been on trial for second-degree murder in the death of Jonathan Moosewaypayo, who was stabbed 18 times. He was also charged with two counts of attempted murder for stabbing Cole McKay and a 17-year-old boy, but he pleaded guilty to two counts of the lesser offence of aggravated assault.

According to Wilby, on Tuesday the Crown — recognizing the dire condition Henry was in — withdrew the charges against him, so that he was no longer considered an inmate when he died.

He declined to answer questions about the charges Henry was facing.

Because Henry was in custody when he was attacked, the justice ministry is conducting an internal investigation. The file has also been referred to the provincial coroner’s office. A public coroner’s inquest is mandated whenever someone dies in custody.