An inquest into the deaths of three inmates at the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre will be held next month.
Dr. Rick Mann, Regional Supervising Coroner for West Region, announced Tuesday that the inquest into the overdose deaths of Floyd Deleary, Justin Thompson, and Murray James Davis will begin on February 24 at the Stoneridge Inn and Conference Centre, 6675 Burtwistle Lane in London. An inquest is mandatory under the Coroners Act.
Deleary died August 23, 2015 after being found in medical distress in his cell at the provincial jail on Exeter Rd. He was 39-years-old. He had been in custody since 2009 and was reportedly waiting to find out if he would be named a dangerous offender. Deleary had been in and out of many Ontario jails for different crimes over the years, including a manslaughter conviction in 1995.
Thompson, who was 27-years-old, died of a suspected drug overdose on October 31, 2016. Davis, 24, died August 17, 2017 while in custody.
According to a release from the coroner’s office, the inquest will examine the events surrounding all three deaths. The jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths.
It's expected the inquest will last 12 days and hear from roughly 30 witnesses. Dr. David Eden will preside as inquest coroner. Vanessa Decker and Julian Roy will be counsel to the coroner.