An inquest into the death of man who died while in custody at the Elgin Middlesex Detention Centre in 2017 is set to resume next month.
On Friday, the coroner’s office announced it has re-scheduled a date for the inquest into the death Murray James Davis.
Davis was 24-years-old when he died at the provincial jail in London on August 17, 2017. The regional supervising coroner at the London office, Dr. Elizabeth Urbantke, said the inquest will begin on November 21, 2022.
“The inquest will examine the circumstances surrounding Mr. Davis’ death. The jury may make recommendations aimed at preventing future deaths in similar circumstances,” Urbantke said in a statement.
Urbantke said an inquest into Davis’ death is mandatory under the Coroners Act. It is expected to last five days during which time the jury will hear from 13 witnesses. The inquest will start at 9:30 a.m. at the Ivey Centre on 551 Windermere Road. Dr. David Eden will be the presiding officer, while Julian Roy and Vanessa Decker will be the inquest counsel.
This is the second inquest date set for Davis. In 2020, a date was set for a joint inquest into his death and the deaths of two other inmates, Floyd Deleary and Justin Thompson, who died in 2015 and 2016 respectively. It is believed all three men died from suspected drug overdoses.
In January 2020, the Office of the Coroner announced the inquest into all three men’s deaths would begin the following month. A short time before the start of that inquest, information came to light that required the coroner’s office to put the review on hold indefinitely.
Since 2009, 20 inmates have died in custody while at the EMDC.
