Case closed for HMP guards accused of killing inmate, as Crown calls it quits

The nine St. John's prison guards embroiled in a jailhouse death case and accused of killing an inmate under their care can now breathe freely for the first time in more than two years.

Sources told CBC News on Wednesday that prosecutors won't be pursuing a direct indictment against the correctional officers charged with the death of Jonathan Henoche, who died in Her Majesty's Penitentiary while awaiting his murder trial.

In November 2019, Henoche was involved in a tussle with those guards, who covered Henoche in a spit hood and shackled his arms and legs to restrain him. 

The accused correctional officers noticed he was unresponsive shortly after he was left in a segregation cell.

Three of the nine guards were charged with manslaughter after a yearlong investigation into the inmate's death by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. The remaining correctional officers were accused of negligence causing death.

A provincial court judge dismissed the vast majority of those charges in December, following a preliminary inquiry.

However, prosecutors still had the option of filing a direct indictment: in other words, bringing the case directly to a Supreme Court justice and lobbying for a trial to go ahead, despite the outcome of the inquiry.

But an expert report reviewed by CBC News has now eliminated all possibility of a trial.

Ontario's chief forensic pathologist, in an opinion submitted to the Crown, said he couldn't conclude Henoche's death was influenced by the possibility of guards cutting off his air supply while he lay on his stomach on the floor of a cell.

Instead, pathologist Michael Pollanen suggested Henoche's cause of death was due to his struggles while restrained, which exacerbated an underlying heart issue — and was not related to the alleged excessive use of force or negligence from the correctional officers handling him.

Prosecutors said Wednesday they would not proceed with a direct indictment, effectively clearing the nine guards of  criminal wrongdoing.

It's unclear whether prosecutors will pursue an outstanding charge against supervisor Jeff Thistle for failing to provide the necessaries of life.

CBC News has requested comment from lead prosecutor Sheldon Steeves.

In December, Judge Pamela Goulding informed the provincial court that she found all correctional officers had acted calmly and professionally the night Henoche died, and handed down harsh criticism of the integrity of the Crown's case against them.