Burlington birthday party killer arrested after prison break
Case reveals how breaking out usually isn’t dramatic, unlike the movies
When news breaks that an inmate at a federal penitentiary has escaped, it’s easy to conjure scenes from the TV show “Prison Break” or the movie “The Shawshank Redemption” of tunnels, papier-mâché dummies or ingenious disguises to fool guards.
In reality, in Canada at least, prison escapes — when they occur, which is seldom — are much less dramatic affairs.
Case in point: the recent absconding on Tuesday of Joshua Kenneth Kohl, 42, from the minimum security facility at Collins Bay Institution in Kingston. On Tuesday evening, Collins Bay staff conducted their normal count and discovered the Hamilton-area murderer was “unaccounted for,” according to the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC).
“You’re expected to be in certain places and do your institutional work. You need to check in,” said CSC regional communications manager Mike Shrider.
While Shrider couldn’t provide the exact circumstances of Kohl’s escape, it’s feasible Kohl was simply able to walk away, said Robert Clark, a 30-year veteran of the federal prison system and former deputy warden.
“In my experience, a lot of escapes are poorly planned and they are often somewhat spontaneous. It can be a result of a burst of anger about something else that’s going on, a bad phone call from a spouse, something like that,” explained Clark, who also worked with some of Canada’s most notorious prisoners, including Paul Bernardo and Tyrone Conn.
“A lot of these guys have very terrible decision-making processes and much of their lives are lived in a compulsive, chaotic way.”
Kohl was serving an indeterminate life sentence for second-degree murder after beating a man to death at a Burlington birthday party on March 26, 2002.
Immediately after his reported escape from custody Tuesday, police had warned he could pose a safety risk and that a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
It seems Kohl didn’t get far though; he was rearrested Wednesday without incident, police say. He was later charged with being unlawfully at large.
“While there are several federal correctional institutions in the Kingston area, incidents like this are infrequent,” said Bryan Paterson, the mayor of Kingston.
“When one does occur, there is a process in place to ensure a swift response which includes immediate outreach to Kingston Police for support.”
Paterson added that he was informed by Correctional Services of Canada that the agency will be conducting a review of their security procedures in light of the incident and will make adjustments to these procedures as required.
Kohl, of Simcoe, was 23 when he was sentenced for his part in what a judge called the senseless beating death of Robert Zeszutek at Zeszutek’s 40th birthday party.
Superior Court Justice Chris Speyer described Kohl in Milton court as a troubled man with a lengthy criminal record and alcohol problems.
Under the advice of lawyers and the Crown attorney’s office, Kohl pleaded guilty to seconddegree murder, and the two others involved pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Shrider said while there aren’t cells with bars in minimum security facilities, inmates are still subject to strict rules. No drugs. No alcohol. And, in the case of Collins Bay, inmates can undertake jobs within the institution, for which they are paid.
Some are escorted off the grounds on temporary absences for work, “but that wasn’t the case here,” he said, without elaborating.
Minimum security prisons are mainly for inmates who are at the end of their sentences or low-risk cases that might be good for parole, Clark said.
But if it’s so easy to literally just walk away from a low-security facility, why don’t more inmates do it? Clark said it’s simply not worth it.
“You’d be charged with escape from lawful custody and for a lot of guys, that could mean an additional three to six months added to their sentence.”