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Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Mother hopes inquest sheds light on son's death in Stony Mountain prison
Penny Brass was flooded with emotion when she learned an inquest had been called into the death of her son, Patrick Eaglestick, while he was incarcerated at Stony Mountain Institution. She remembers the 'happy kid' who worked hard to get his high school equivalency credentials and was popular with friends and family. 'My son liked everything, basketball, any kind of sports team, he always wanted to play. If there was a powwow, he wanted to go. If there was somebody that needed help, he'd go and help,' Brass told the Free Press. Supplied Patrick Eaglestick, 25, died by hanging while at Stony Mountain in 2020. An inquest was called into his death this week. She said it pains her to think about the brutality of his death at age 25. He died in hospital, one day after he was found hanging in his cell during a routine check on March 23, 2020. His death was ruled a suicide, and because he died while incarcerated, an inquest must be held as per the Fatality Inquiries Act. 'The hardest thing to lose is your grown child,' she said. At the time of his death, Eaglestick was serving a two-year sentence for assault with a weapon, use of an imitation firearm while committing an offence, and failing to comply with a condition under recognizance. He hanged himself two months after his sentence began. Five years later, Brass still has questions about his death. While he 'got in trouble' on the outside, resulting in his incarceration, Brass said, he was introduced to drugs while in prison during a previous five-year stint for his involvement in a robbery, without intervention from guards. She said he was introduced to gang activity while he was in Stony; Eaglestick would call her from the prison and tell her he was scared of the gang members who harassed him. She said there was no intervention from Stony employees. She hopes the inquest finds that Stony Mountain was negligent in protecting her son. 'They were supposed to keep my son alive, they failed to do that,' she said. 'I wish I had my son here with me.' On Monday, Manitoba chief medical examiner Dr. John Younes called inquests into the deaths of Eaglestick and six other men incarcerated at Stony Mountain and Headingley Correctional Centre in 2020 and 2021. Among them is William Ahmo, whose 2021 death after a standoff with jail guards was deemed a homicide; the correctional officer who led the guards in the standoff was acquitted of criminal charges in September. Another inquest will probe the death of Jesse Thomas, 36, who died from an accidental drug overdose on Nov. 19, 2021. Five of the seven inquests are in relation to hanging deaths that occurred between March and December 2020: Eaglestick, Curt Harper, 36, Melvis Owen, 38, Farron Rowan, 32, and Adrian Young, 39. Christine Latimer, the national executive director of the John Howard Society, said that number of suicides is surprising. 'To me, that's high… I track every announcement that (Correctional Services Canada) makes about a death in custody, and there's nothing like this,' she said. In the past year, one inquest into a suicide by hanging at Stony Mountain has been published. Timothy Koltusky was 34 when he was found hanging by a ligature made from garbage bags tied to an electric fixture in his cell on March 12, 2019. Supplied Patrick Eaglestick's mother says he worked hard to get his high school equivalency credentials and was popular with friends and family. Judges have recommended Stony retrofit electrical fixtures to prevent suicides as early as 2005. Koltusky's inquest report, published in January, describes his suicide as tragic but not preventable; it notes the chief medical examiner's call for an inquest 'lacks jurisdiction to make recommendations to the federal authorities responsible for the operation of penitentiaries in Canada.' Latimer said more needs to be done. 'Generally their answer to suicides is, hide the knives, right? There's nothing that looks at the circumstances which leads people to be suicidal, but they want to stop the means by which people can actually carry out the threat,' Latimer said. 'You also need to look at their mental wellbeing.' University of Winnipeg criminal justice professor Michael Weinrath was also surprised by the number. 'It's a problem when you have that many hangings, in one particular period,' he said. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. Stony Mountain, which was built in 1876, is the oldest correctional facility in the country. Many cells are smaller than what current standards allow, Weinrath said, but the high cost of rebuilding the prison meant they were grandfathered in. Retrofitting cells to ensure they don't have suspension points for hanging is also costly, he said. He's curious whether the number of inquests on one method of death will inspire change. 'Certainly, I think the management at Stony Mountain would come under some scrutiny, in the end,' he said. Malak AbasReporter Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak. Every piece of reporting Malak produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
08-04-2025
- CBC
5 years after Eishia Hudson, 16, was shot by a police officer, hope remains for systemic change
Social Sharing Five years after Eishia Hudson's deadly encounter with Winnipeg police, an advocate and a First Nations leader want to make sure the 16-year-old is not forgotten and want change to prevent the same thing from happening again. Hudson was a member of Berens River First Nation who was fatally shot by an officer on April 8, 2020, following a chase in which police say Hudson was driving a stolen vehicle that had been involved in a liquor store robbery. "She died in such a tragic way," said Sherry Gott, the Manitoba Advocate for Children and Youth. Her office released a special report honouring Hudson in June 2023 titled Memengwaa Wiidoodaagewin, the Ojibway words for Butterfly Project. "I hope for systemic change when it comes to her." Manitoba's chief medical examiner called an inquest in March 2021 to examine the circumstances of Hudson's death and what, if anything, can be done to prevent similar deaths in the future. No dates have been set more than four years after the inquest was announced. "The provincial court is aware that it has been five years since Eishia Hudson died in tragic circumstances," said an emailed statement to CBC from Provincial Court of Manitoba Chief Judge Ryan Rolston. He added the court is also aware "the delay of the inquest into her death has taken a toll on her loved ones who seek closure." Hudson could 'brighten a room' Born in Winnipeg in June 2003, Hudson was remembered in the advocate's report for her "ability to brighten a room with her humour and laughter." Part of the inquest will examine Hudson's involvement with the child welfare system and — while she was never charged with a crime — previous encounters with police. Hudson did not always receive the support she needed from the Manitoba government and school systems before her death, the report released by the Manitoba Advocate found. That report, which made four recommendations to the government, is expected to be submitted to the inquest. Manitoba's Independent Investigation Unit, the province's police watchdog, announced in January 2021 that the Crown was not recommending charges against the officer who shot Hudson. The chief medical examiner can call an inquest under the Fatality Inquiries Act if they have reason to believe a person died "as a result of an act or omission of a peace officer in the course of duty." A judge in an inquest submits a report and can recommend "changes in the programs, policies and practices of government" that may help prevent similar deaths from happening in the future, according to the provincial court. However, the inquest process cannot determine culpability with respect to a death, the province says. Chief Judge Rolston said the court has been dealing with an unusual volume of new inquests along with a backlog of cases that had to be put on pause because of the coronavirus outbreak. "Unfortunately, the inquest into the death of Ms. Hudson has been delayed partially due to scheduling issues that arose from the COVID pandemic," Rolston said. He said details are still being finalized in the inquest into Hudson's death, which include finding a venue large enough to accommodate high public interest. Inquest will examine role of systemic racism The inquest, which will be heard by Judge Margaret Wiebe, will try to determine if systemic racism played a role in her death, Wiebe announced in a written decision in May 2024. "Eishia was identified as an Indigenous person during the incident with WPS on the day of her death," Wiebe wrote. "What effect or influence, if any, this had on the decisions and actions of the WPS will form part of the factual matrix of this case." Assembly Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said when she hears Hudson's name, she thinks of a young First Nations woman who lost her life too early. "I also think about her family and the loss they've had to deal with for a few years now," Wilson said. "I still feel sad for them and what occurred." The AMC's First Nations Family Advocate Office is busy preparing for its involvement in the inquest. Wilson said members of a youth advisory group have shared their own experiences with the child welfare and justice systems which are being put into a report to submit to the inquest. "I know that [the inquest] will happen and when we look at such a complex system, such as justice, child welfare, there's a lot to review and to discuss and we need to make sure we are taking our time looking at systemic change," the grand chief said. Winnipeg police declined a request for comment from CBC, saying it's because the matter is still before the courts. Gott said not enough has changed since Hudson's death and that concerns her. "We know that youth are overrepresented in all systems in Manitoba, including the justice system, so yeah I am worried." Inquest details still being finalized 5 years after Eishia Hudson's death 3 minutes ago Duration 2:36 It's been five years since 16-year-old Eishia Hudson was fatally shot by a Winnipeg police officer following a robbery and high-speed chase. An inquest looking further at the circumstances of her death has been called, but dates have yet to be set.
