Multiple sources have identified an inmate stabbed at a Dartmouth jail as murder suspect Thomas Ted Barrett.
The 39-year-old Glace Bay man is charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of two young Cape Breton women - Brett Elizabeth MacKinnon and Laura Jessome.
Barrett was stabbed multiple times at the Nova Scotia Correctional Facility Saturday afternoon and sent to hospital with life-threatening injuries. He remains in hospital in critical condition.
Jessome’s family declined to be interviewed, but told CTV News they are worried the incident will cause another delay in a case that has already dragged on for more than a year.
Five inmates are facing charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose in connection with the incident.
The accused are men between the ages of 18 and 26. Police have not released their names.
“At this time the investigation is ongoing,” says Const. Pierre Bourdages. “Charges are anticipated but no charges have been laid in court so I can’t release the names of the accused yet.”
They are due to appear in Dartmouth provincial court at a later date.
There have been five assaults at the jail so far this year. Earlier this month, a 45-year-old man allegedly stabbed a 23-year-old while he was sleeping. There were seven incidents in 2013, and the latest assault is raising the question of inmate safety.
“Any assault is too many and we have too many and we understand that,” says Bill Smith, executive director of correctional services.
“They are dangerous facilities. Violence is always a concern for us,” says Nova Scotia Justice Minister Lena Diab. “We’re consistently looking at our policies, procedures and training to prevent violence.”
Diab says it’s too early to say whether specific changes are needed.
“At this point, we have an ongoing investigation that will look into what happened prior to this incident, while this was going on, and how we can improve on it,” says Diab.
However, neither Smith nor Diab have any immediate concerns about staffing or overcrowding at the facility.
“We have a healthy population. We’re building a new facility which will open later this year in Pictou County, which will certainly help us address any pressures we have,” says Smith.
Meanwhile, investigators are still searching for the weapon used to stab Barrett.
“We always search the facility. We always search for contraband and for anything that can be used for a weapon,” says Smith. “As you can imagine, almost anything can be used as a weapon.”
Police say they have completed their search and are now leaving it in the hands of the facility.
Once police complete their investigation, the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility will conduct its own review of how the situation was handled.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Matt Woodman
