I suppose they suspect the latest victims family would go for money, which they should.........
Michael Wayne McGray was convicted of killing six people and bragged of committing more murders.
The burly serial killer was serving six concurrent life sentences at maximum-security Kent Institution in 2010 when he somehow persuaded staff he was ready to move to medium-security Mountain Institution in Agassiz.
McGray had been in a cell by himself during his incarceration at Kent and warned everyone he had to have his own cell.
However, when he got to Mountain, he was “double bunked” with Jeremy Phillips, who was nearing the end of his own sentence for aggravated assault.
The serial killer convinced his new cellmate to allow him to tie Phillips up as part of a hostage scenario. McGray stuffed a sock in Phillips’ mouth and strangled him.
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Now, six years after the killing, the Correctional Service of Canada continues to stonewall inquiries about changes to prevent any similar occurrence — even after three years of applying for details through the Access to Information Act.
“The Correctional Service of Canada will not be in a position to respond to your request by close of business today but will aim to do so as soon as possible tomorrow,” said Jon Schofield, a media relations adviser with CSC, in an email Thursday afternoon.
The CSC is reticent about discussing the incident, the money that was paid out as a result of a lawsuit by Phillips’ family, the reprimands issued to staff and changes to policies.
As a result of the death, a B.C. Coroners Service inquest was held in 2012 and a series of recommendations were issued,
One of the suggestions was for guards to get more powerful flashlights and the information released around that was among the most extensive in what details were released.
“This recommendation was made as a result of testimony indicating that staff conducting rounds were unable to view with sufficient clarity to verify the offender’s condition,” said a note from 2013.
Testimony at the inquest was that the guard doing rounds saw Phillips’ feet sticking out from under his blanket.
McGray informed staff Phillips was dead some 12 hours after the killing occurred.
CSC was not changing the flashlights right away.
“This implementation will not require the immediate replacement of existing equipment, however will specify that all future purchases are on the recommended list,” said the note.
Because CSC did not provide an interview by press time, it’s not known how many of the more powerful flashlights have been purchased.
But CSC did reject a recommendation from the Coroners Service to investigate a system to monitor inmates’ body heat to see if they were alive. The excuse was an inmate could be dead for some time before there would be a change in body heat “detectable through a blanket.”
“Consequently, CSC is exploring other technical solutions that are not based on heat signature but breathing movement through the use of high frequency radar,” said a 2013 response to B.C. Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe.
But again, there was no update on the radar.
The CSC has also changed its policies on prisoner accommodations but those regulations appear to leave decisions about who shares cells up to staff.
It was staff that made the 2010 decision that McGray was ready to share a cell, allowing him to kill again.
The coroner also recommended that CSC “consider a mandatory single-accommodation arrangement for multiple murderers unless the requisite correctional service evidence and assessment determines that a shared accommodation is both safe and practical.”
Based on McGray’s testimony at the coroners inquest, sharing a cell with him would not be either safe or practical — although he seems to have convinced staff to move him from maximum security to medium security, where there were more privileges for inmates.
In a chilling video interview done by detectives after he had killed Phillips, McGray doesn’t seem like he could ever be rehabilitated.
“You f--- with me, somebody will f---ing pay,” said McGray. “They always f---ing pay.”
McGray said he began killing when was 17 or 18 years old.
“I’m a sociopath,” he said. “I’m a serial killer. I shouldn’t be here [at Mountain]. I shouldn’t be in medium. I’m not a medium inmate. I’ve never been.”
The burly killer didn’t have a problem with his victim.
“I didn’t have any problem with Jeremy,” said McGray. “I didn’t know the guy. It is what it is, it’s just another sentence to me.
“It’s a mental health issue. We didn’t have a beef. This was all about me. I just couldn’t hold it back anymore.
“It’s not going to end until you kill me.”
ATIP provides little access, not much information
A request by The Province to Correctional Services Canada in November 2012 through the federal Access to Information Act arrived by mail this month and provided little access and not much information.
Carolyn Soltau, a veteran researcher and librarian for The Province who collaborated on the request, says it was her longest pursuit of details through either the Access Act or the provincial Freedom of Information process.
The request was filed in the wake of a shocking B.C. Coroners Service inquest in October 2012 into the death of Jeremy Michael Phillips, who had been strangled to death by his new cellmate, Michael Wayne McGray, at Mountain Institution in Agassiz in 2010.
McGray is a serial killer, what the system calls a “multiple murderer,” and was serving six concurrent life sentences for murder at the time.
He subsequently pleaded guilty to killing Phillips.
The information request asked for details about the settlement made with Phillips’ family, the reprimands to staff involved in the incident, and the rationale for transferring McGray from maximum security Kent Institution to medium-security Mountain where he was “double bunked” with Phillips despite McGray insisting he needed to have his own cell.
The request was rejected outright by Correctional Services Canada on Dec. 13, 2012 over privacy concerns about the settlement, prison staff and McGray.
Soltau filed a complaint with the Information Commissioner of Canada, where it was caught in a backlog of other rejected requests.
“That’s what really held up the process,” said Soltau, who was finally advised to modify and resubmit The Province’s information request.
She did so in February of this year, dropping the request for details of the settlement paid by CSC in the lawsuit that resulted from Phillips’ murder.
The new request asked for information about changes in procedures and equipment as a result of Phillips’ death; the decision to double bunk the two inmates; and the implementation of recommendations made after the inquest.
CSC asked for another 60-day extension and suggested on June 22 that answers would be “coming soon.”
Those answers arrived in August — almost three years after the first information request.
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A serial killer's grim warning: When B.C. prison authorities 'double bunked' Michael Wayne McGray, he strangled his cellmate
Michael Wayne McGray was convicted of killing six people and bragged of committing more murders.
The burly serial killer was serving six concurrent life sentences at maximum-security Kent Institution in 2010 when he somehow persuaded staff he was ready to move to medium-security Mountain Institution in Agassiz.
McGray had been in a cell by himself during his incarceration at Kent and warned everyone he had to have his own cell.
However, when he got to Mountain, he was “double bunked” with Jeremy Phillips, who was nearing the end of his own sentence for aggravated assault.
The serial killer convinced his new cellmate to allow him to tie Phillips up as part of a hostage scenario. McGray stuffed a sock in Phillips’ mouth and strangled him.
Advertisement
Now, six years after the killing, the Correctional Service of Canada continues to stonewall inquiries about changes to prevent any similar occurrence — even after three years of applying for details through the Access to Information Act.
“The Correctional Service of Canada will not be in a position to respond to your request by close of business today but will aim to do so as soon as possible tomorrow,” said Jon Schofield, a media relations adviser with CSC, in an email Thursday afternoon.
The CSC is reticent about discussing the incident, the money that was paid out as a result of a lawsuit by Phillips’ family, the reprimands issued to staff and changes to policies.
As a result of the death, a B.C. Coroners Service inquest was held in 2012 and a series of recommendations were issued,
One of the suggestions was for guards to get more powerful flashlights and the information released around that was among the most extensive in what details were released.
“This recommendation was made as a result of testimony indicating that staff conducting rounds were unable to view with sufficient clarity to verify the offender’s condition,” said a note from 2013.
Testimony at the inquest was that the guard doing rounds saw Phillips’ feet sticking out from under his blanket.
McGray informed staff Phillips was dead some 12 hours after the killing occurred.
CSC was not changing the flashlights right away.
“This implementation will not require the immediate replacement of existing equipment, however will specify that all future purchases are on the recommended list,” said the note.
Because CSC did not provide an interview by press time, it’s not known how many of the more powerful flashlights have been purchased.
But CSC did reject a recommendation from the Coroners Service to investigate a system to monitor inmates’ body heat to see if they were alive. The excuse was an inmate could be dead for some time before there would be a change in body heat “detectable through a blanket.”
“Consequently, CSC is exploring other technical solutions that are not based on heat signature but breathing movement through the use of high frequency radar,” said a 2013 response to B.C. Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe.
But again, there was no update on the radar.
The CSC has also changed its policies on prisoner accommodations but those regulations appear to leave decisions about who shares cells up to staff.
It was staff that made the 2010 decision that McGray was ready to share a cell, allowing him to kill again.
The coroner also recommended that CSC “consider a mandatory single-accommodation arrangement for multiple murderers unless the requisite correctional service evidence and assessment determines that a shared accommodation is both safe and practical.”
Based on McGray’s testimony at the coroners inquest, sharing a cell with him would not be either safe or practical — although he seems to have convinced staff to move him from maximum security to medium security, where there were more privileges for inmates.
In a chilling video interview done by detectives after he had killed Phillips, McGray doesn’t seem like he could ever be rehabilitated.
“You f--- with me, somebody will f---ing pay,” said McGray. “They always f---ing pay.”
McGray said he began killing when was 17 or 18 years old.
“I’m a sociopath,” he said. “I’m a serial killer. I shouldn’t be here [at Mountain]. I shouldn’t be in medium. I’m not a medium inmate. I’ve never been.”
The burly killer didn’t have a problem with his victim.
“I didn’t have any problem with Jeremy,” said McGray. “I didn’t know the guy. It is what it is, it’s just another sentence to me.
“It’s a mental health issue. We didn’t have a beef. This was all about me. I just couldn’t hold it back anymore.
“It’s not going to end until you kill me.”
ATIP provides little access, not much information
A request by The Province to Correctional Services Canada in November 2012 through the federal Access to Information Act arrived by mail this month and provided little access and not much information.
Carolyn Soltau, a veteran researcher and librarian for The Province who collaborated on the request, says it was her longest pursuit of details through either the Access Act or the provincial Freedom of Information process.
The request was filed in the wake of a shocking B.C. Coroners Service inquest in October 2012 into the death of Jeremy Michael Phillips, who had been strangled to death by his new cellmate, Michael Wayne McGray, at Mountain Institution in Agassiz in 2010.
McGray is a serial killer, what the system calls a “multiple murderer,” and was serving six concurrent life sentences for murder at the time.
He subsequently pleaded guilty to killing Phillips.
The information request asked for details about the settlement made with Phillips’ family, the reprimands to staff involved in the incident, and the rationale for transferring McGray from maximum security Kent Institution to medium-security Mountain where he was “double bunked” with Phillips despite McGray insisting he needed to have his own cell.
The request was rejected outright by Correctional Services Canada on Dec. 13, 2012 over privacy concerns about the settlement, prison staff and McGray.
Soltau filed a complaint with the Information Commissioner of Canada, where it was caught in a backlog of other rejected requests.
“That’s what really held up the process,” said Soltau, who was finally advised to modify and resubmit The Province’s information request.
She did so in February of this year, dropping the request for details of the settlement paid by CSC in the lawsuit that resulted from Phillips’ murder.
The new request asked for information about changes in procedures and equipment as a result of Phillips’ death; the decision to double bunk the two inmates; and the implementation of recommendations made after the inquest.
CSC asked for another 60-day extension and suggested on June 22 that answers would be “coming soon.”
Those answers arrived in August — almost three years after the first information request.
more
A serial killer's grim warning: When B.C. prison authorities 'double bunked' Michael Wayne McGray, he strangled his cellmate