Anthony George is accused of brutally beating to death his cellmate, Adam Kargus, at the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre earlier this month.
But there are questions as to whether Kargus should have been in the same cell as George in the first place.
George has a lengthy history of violence, both inside and outside of jail. Yet, no precautions were taken to protect inmates and staff.
George has been in and out of jail for most of the past decade. In that time he’s collected several charges while behind bars, including aggravated assault for attacks on previous cellmates.
But sources say staff members at the EMDC weren’t informed of his history.
The lawyer representing Kargus’ family, Kevin Egan, says this latest tragedy is just another sign of how broken the system is, “We need to have a system where people, where anybody, is protected.”
Kargus was found on November 1st in the showers, allegedly beaten to death by his cellmate. George has been charged with second-degree murder in the case.
Egan says “When there’s somebody with that kind of history, they shouldn’t be locked up with anyone.”
While incarcerated in Sarnia, sources say George was often held in segregation because of his predatory nature against weaker inmates, having previously attacked two cellmates. But once he came to London he was housed in the general population and a week later Kargus was dead.
Egan is representing the family of Kargus in a lawsuit against the Ministry of Correctional Services, “It's galling that the ministry hasn't responded to this in a more immediate manner. That they haven't taken the steps to make sure this doesn't happen to someone else.”
A spokesperson for Corrections Minister Madeleine Meilleur says details about an inmate’s demeanour and threat level are recorded in a secure, centralized data system that is accessible by correctional service administrators.
