Inquest begins in deaths of two men at Stony Mountain Institution

An inquest into the deaths of two inmates at Stony Mountain prison starts Wednesday and for the first time, media will be allowed to record audio.

It's been 10 years since Sheldon Anthony McKay was killed by fellow inmates while locked up at Stony Mountain Institution. 

He was serving a life sentence for the stabbing death in 2000 of a 19-year-old Winnipeg man. 

McKay was 30-years-old when he was found face down on a bed in his room May 3, 2006.  Investigators determined the cause of death to be asphyxia and it was ruled a homicide.

Four people were later charged and convicted in McKay's death.

The inquest will look into his death, and the killing of another Stony Mountain inmate the year before.

Durval David Tavares, 40, of Thunder Bay, Ont. died March 20, 2005. Stony Mountain staff found him unconscious in a washroom near the gym and was pronounced dead shortly after.

The cause was determined to be blunt force trauma. Four individuals were charged in his death and three were convicted.

The inquest will look at whether officers on duty failed to help the victims, and what can be done in the future to prevent such deaths.

Hearings audio recorded for 1st time

For the first time, those details will be captured in audio recordings. In late January, CBC, the Winnipeg Free Press and CTV Winnipeg applied as a group for permission to record and broadcast audio and video during the inquest.

Manitoba provincial court judge Brent Stewart denied the request to videotape the proceedings.

The deaths of Tavares and McKay are linked to violent gangs, according to the decision. Crown attorneys and correctional staff opposed the idea of cameras in the courtroom over privacy and security fears. Judge Stewart said he took those concerns seriously.

But the judge did grant the use of audio recordings. The decision is in line with other efforts to increase the openness of Manitoba's justice system, the judge wrote in his Jan. 28 decision. 

CBC Manitoba's managing editor, Cecil Rosner, believes it's the first time in Manitoba that journalists can broadcast audio recorded during a court proceeding that includes witness testimony.

"Allowing media to broadcast audio from the inquest is a big step forward in helping us report on the courts more effectively," said Rosner.

An inquest is called by the chief medical examiner Under the Fatality Inquiries Act when an inmate dies in custody.