WINNIPEG – A judge has found a senior corrections officer not guilty in the death of an inmate at a Manitoba jail.
Provincial court Judge Tony Celliti says there isn’t enough evidence to convict Robert Jeffrey Morden of criminal negligence causing death and failing to provide the necessities of life for William Ahmo of Sagkeeng Anicinabe Nation.
Court heard Ahmo, 45, was involved in a 2021 standoff with guards at the Headingley Correctional Centre and died a week later in hospital.
Morden was the officer in charge of the emergency response unit that subdued Ahmo at the provincial jail west of Winnipeg.
Video evidence presented at the trial shows tactical officers taking the inmate to the ground, putting him in shackles, placing a spit hood over his head and sitting him in a restraint chair before he becomes unresponsive.
Court heard he died from a brain injury stemming from cardiac arrest.
Celliti said in his verdict Friday that Ahmo’s death is a terrible tragedy, but he’s not satisfied Morden didn’t act as a reasonable corrections officer. The judge also said the accused’s conduct didn’t demonstrate reckless disregard for the inmate’s life and safety.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 6, 2024.