Anthony Maurice George, the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre inmate charged in the October 2013 beating death of his cellmate Adam Kargus, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Tuesday in a London courtroom.
The guilty plea comes nearly four years after Kargus’ death at the troubled London jail.
The 29-year-old Sarnia man was just two weeks into his sentence when he was beaten to death in his cell on Oct. 31, 2013. His body was found by EMDC staff around 10 a.m. the next morning in the jail’s showers. An autopsy found he died of blunt force trauma.
Kargus was being held at the jail for using stolen ID’s to purchase cellphones in Sarnia and had been sentenced to 165 days in jail.
George, who had a history of violence, was charged with second-degree murder shortly after Kargus’ death.
Tuesday’s guilty plea came as a surprise, said Kevin Egan, the London lawyer representing hundreds of EMDC inmates in a class-action lawsuit against the province over conditions inside the jail.
“It’s somewhat anti-climatic, I guess, given we had expected to hear several weeks of testimony about the events leading to Adam’s death,” he said.
Asked if he had spoken to the family, Egan said only very briefly.
“Only to the extent that they’ve indicated they’re feeling overwhelmed and just want to go home and rest. Obviously it’s a devastating thing to live through. The family is looking for some closure, and this may be a step in that direction,” he said.
Although Egan wasn’t in the courtroom when the guilty plea was entered, he had been in and out a few times that day.
Even though George has pleaded guilty, Egan said there will still be an investigation.
“When someone dies in the custody of Her Majesty the Queen, and it’s not of natural causes, under the coroner’s act there’s a mandatory inquest to determine not only the facts surrounding the death, but to make recommendations to prevent similar deaths in the future.”
Kargus’ death is just one of many incidents to have plagued the London jail in recent years.
Egan says continuing fundamental failings at the detention centre need to be addressed.
“There was a significant amount of evidence brought out at the preliminary hearing both in regard to the events of Oct. 31 2013 when Adam was murdered, and additionally the systemic failures at Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre that made it all possible,” he said.
As for what’s in store for EMDC down the road, Egan hopes the problems can be fixed.
“I’m hoping the province takes an objective view of the shortcomings of the institution and takes positive steps to change it. Whether that means tearing the place down and starting over, or changing the supervision model significantly. I don’t have all the answers to that, but clearly something needs to be done,” he said.
Sentencing is set to take place Oct. 6
Comments