Dates set for public inquest into inmate’s death in Regina

A public inquest into the 2017 death of an inmate at the Regina Correctional Centre is to be held next month.

The inquest into Waylon Starr’s death is to be held July 22-26 at Regina’s Court of Queen’s Bench.

Starr was found unresponsive in his cell at the jail on Aug. 24, 2017. He was pronounced dead after efforts to resuscitate him failed.

Coroner Brent Gough will preside over the inquest.

The Chief Coroner is required by law to hold an inquest after a person dies while they’re an inmate at a jail or a correctional facility, unless the coroner is satisfied that the person’s death was due to natural causes and was not preventable.

“The purpose of an inquest is to establish who died, when and where that person died and the medical cause and manner of death,” Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Justice said in a media release. “The coroner’s jury may make recommendations to prevent similar deaths.”