Inmate dies after ‘serious assault’ at federal prison in New Brunswick

An inmate has died after a “serious assault” while in custody at the Atlantic Institution in Renous, N.B., Correctional Service Canada said Friday.

The death has since been ruled a homicide.

In a release, Correctional Service Canada said Richard King died while in custody on Thursday. King was serving an indeterminate sentence since June 2007 for second-degree murder.

The release said the Blackville detachment of the RCMP, along with Correctional Service Canada, are investigating the incident. King’s next of kin was notified, it said.

“The CSC takes the death of an inmate very seriously,” it said. “At this time, no further information is available while the investigation is underway.”

King is the sixth inmate to die while incarcerated in New Brunswick this year.

In May, Jason Barnaby-Gloade died in hospital after he was found unresponsive in his cell at the Dalhousie Regional Correctional Centre.

In April, two inmates died: Dany Bernatchez at the Atlantic Institution and Jarrett Lorne Lunn at the Madawaska Regional Correctional Centre.

In February, Madawaska Regional Correctional Centre inmate Wesley Robert Geneau was found unresponsive and transported to hospital where he later died.

And in late January, Skyler Sappier, a 28-year-old inmate at the Saint John Regional Correctional Centre, died while in custody. His family says he had COVID-19.