Autopsy shows Sask. inmate may have died by suicide: inquest

(Source: Cherished Memories Funeral Services)

A forensic pathologist told an inquest jury Wednesday that inmate Brandon Lupkoski likely died by suicide.

Wednesday was the second day of a coroner’s inquest into Lupkoski’s death.

The jury has been tasked with determining how the 28-year-old died behind bars after being found unresponsive in his Saskatchewan Penitentiary cell during a regular check on Nov. 28, 2022. The jury may also make recommendations to prevent similar deaths from occurring in the future.

On Tuesday, the RCMP testified the inmate’s death was treated as a homicide from the outset.

But now, Dr. Shaun Ladham, a forensic pathologist who performed Lupkoski’s autopsy, is contradicting the conclusion of police, saying the injuries he sustained appeared to be self-inflicted.

Ladham said the injuries Lupkoski sustained were not consistent with a homicide and appeared self-inflicted, stating that “if someone is doing that to another person, that’s not what we’re seeing.” He said there was nothing on the body to indicate a struggle.

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The forensic pathologist explained in more detail that injuries like the ones found on Lupkoski are not immediately incapacitating. He said someone with those injuries would likely survive for five to 10 minutes after the infliction.

Items found in the cell would have been capable of causing Lupkoski’s injuries.

A non-lethal amount of methamphetamine was also found in Lupkoski’s system after his death.

In the hours before Lupkoski’s body was discovered, the inmates on the range had been permitted to exit their cells.

An inmate who spoke to Lupkoski hours before his death joined the inquest over the phone.

He said that during his time at Saskatchewan Penitentiary there was a methamphetamine problem with some of the inmates, but that staff seemed to be “behind the eight-ball” when it came to searching for and seizing the drugs.

The inmate stated that at the time of the incident, inmates at Saskatchewan Penitentiary were afraid to discuss addiction issues with staff out of fear of being seen “as rats.”

He said that on the day of the incident, Lupkoski had not given an indication that he may have been unwell, but that he was aware of Lupkoski’s drug use and mental health challenges.

He recalled walking up to Lupkoski’s cell in the two hours leading up to the discovery of Lupkoski’s body, to ask him if he wanted to head to supper.

The cell door was fully covered by a blanket at the time, and Lupkoski was not visible.

The inmate said Lupkoski verbally refused the invitation and that Lupkoski may have been the only inmate on the range who remained behind when the rest went to supper.

On Tuesday, the correctional officer who found Lupkoski unresponsive testified that the inmate handbook instructs inmates not to cover the entire entrance to the cell.

She said that staff would sometimes permit inmates to keep the whole entrance covered for one regular check, asking them to move the blanket if it was still in place by the next check. The checks occur hourly.

The inquest is scheduled to continue until Friday, Feb. 13.