OTTAWA -- Ottawa police have laid a second-degree murder charge against a 36-year-old man after an inmate at the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre (OCDC) was beaten to death.
Police say 49-year-old William Renwick, of Arnprior, Ont., was attacked at the Ottawa jail on Oct. 17, 2020. He died of his injuries in hospital on Nov. 8, Ottawa police said.
Police charged Kivi Bar Wari, 36, of no fixed address, with aggravated assault and have now upgraded that charge to second-degree murder.
Both Bar Wari and Renwick were inmates at the OCDC at the time of the attack.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General said it would be inappropriate to comment on the death, given that there are ongoing investigations, but offered information regarding what happens next.
"When a death involving an inmate occurs, it is the subject of multiple investigations. The Office of the Chief Coroner conducts a death investigation to determine cause and manner of death. The ministry conducts a mandatory internal investigation to determine whether all ministry policies and procedures were followed with respect to the care and custody of the deceased. The local police may investigate to determine if the death was the result of any criminal activity," the spokesperson said.
"Should the coroner determine that the death was anything other than natural causes, an inquest would be called. Should the death result from natural causes, an inquest would be at the discretion of the coroner."
