Jonathan Henoche, 33, died Nov. 6, 2019 while in Her Majesty's Penitentiary in St. John's, Newfoundland. Photo: Facebook.
A judge in St. John’s has dismissed the charges against nine correctional officers working at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary in the capital city for the death of Jonathan Henoche, 33, an Inuk man from Nain, Labrador.
The incident happened on Nov. 6, 2019, after an altercation.
Ten correctional officers were originally charged with crimes ranging from manslaughter to criminal negligence causing death.
One of the officers had their charges dropped in August.
According to media reports in St. John’s, Justice Pamela Goulding ruled that there wasn’t enough evidence to go to trial. She scolded the prosecution for its case and said that based on the evidence presented, the officers acted calmly and professionally.
The lone guard to still face the courts is correctional office Jeff Thistle who faces a charge of failing to provide the necessities of life.
Henoche had been awaiting trial on charges including first-degree murder in relation to the 2016 death of an 88-year-old woman in Labrador.
Since 2019, Henoche’s lawyer Bob Buckingham has been calling for a public inquiry into his death.
The family is suing the province.
