Family of man killed in jail relieved trial finally about to begin

LONDON, ONT Every time the phone rings lately, Deb Abrams wonders if she’s going to have to wait again.

“I think, here we go again,” she said.

Her son, Adam Kargus, 29, was beaten to death overnight on Oct. 31, 2013, at the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre (EMDC).

Jury selection started Wednesday in the second-degree murder trial of his cellmate, Anthony George, which is scheduled to begin Monday in London after a long wait and some delays.

“First and foremost, I am relieved it is finally, after four long years of problems and setbacks, finally going to trial. I am looking for some sort of closure that way,” Abrams said.

Asked how she will endure three weeks of testimony, Abrams answered, “I don’t know. One day at a time, I guess.”

Of all the deaths that have plagued EMDC, few have reached the level of public notoriety as that of Kargus.

There has been one other homicide, that of Randy Drysdale in 2009, but no one was charged with murder in that case. Only at an inquest was his death ruled a homicide.

In some deaths, EMDC staff have faced disciplinary action.

But Kargus’ death led to criminal charges, unprecedented in Ontario, against three jail employees. Two correctional officers and an operations manager were charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life.

The charge against one correctional officer was withdrawn in May 2014. Charges against the other officer and operations manager were stayed in February, after the Superior Court ruled the case had taken too long to move through the court system.

The Crown has appealed that ruling.

The later dismissal of six correctional officers, related to Kargus’ death, led to work refusals and a long lockdown at EMDC that delayed dozens of court cases.

In the spring, Ontario’s grievance settlement board ruled three employees should be reinstated.

Two other correctional officers did not get their jobs back. A third was dismissed earlier on an unrelated criminal charge.

“I think that jury is going to hear evidence about the systemic problems with the jail,” London lawyer Kevin Egan, who represents Kargus’ family, said.

His point was proved at a trial last year, when correctional officer Tanya Zavitz was acquitted of smuggling in drugs because, the judge ruled, drugs are so prevalent and searches so sporadic, there was no way of proving a suspicious transaction between the officer and an inmate led to a treasure trove of marijuana and hash oil found in cells.

Egan won’t say much about the case. Neither will the Kargus family. Most of Kargus’ relatives plan to attend the trial.

His sister Paige, 24, won’t be going until, and if, there is a sentencing hearing.

“She wants to keep her happy memories,” Abrams said.

On the eve of the trial, Abrams wants people to know her son was more than an inmate struggling with addiction and awaiting trial on petty criminal charges.

“Nobody thinks how he had a family who loved him. He had the support and love of family.”

Nobody thinks how he had a family who loved him. He had the support and love of family.