A Kingston, Ont., man sentenced to life in prison earlier this year for several brutal crimes across Ontario died in prison, according to Correctional Service Canada.
Michael Wentworth died Wednesday while in custody at Millhaven Institution. CSC did not give a cause of death, but said foul play is not suspected. CSC said the coroner will be investigating the circumstances of the death.
In late January, Wentworth was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Richard Kimbal and Stephen St. Denis, and guilty of arson in a 2000 Toronto car bombing. Police say Wentworth detonated an explosive device in the City of Toronto on July 19, 2000. No one was injured but the explosion caused extensive damage to residences and surrounding vehicles.
Wentworth was also found guilty of robbing a bank in Kingston’s west end in 1996 and the robbing and the brutal beating of 92-year-old Henrietta Knight. Although Knight died of injuries five months after the violent assault, Wentworth was not found guilty of manslaughter in the elderly woman’s death.
He was sentenced to life in prison for the murders, 12 years for the robbery of Knight and 10 years each for the arson and bank robbery.
Wentworth was originally charged in 2019 for the string of cold cases after a year-long joint investigation with local police and OPP.
Following the break in the case, police said up to 60 officers were involved in the investigation into the string of crimes, and 120 officers were involved in Wentworth’s arrest in 2019.
— with files from Global News’ Paul Soucy.