Ashley Smith inquest continues

The inquest into the choking death of Ashley Smith in her segregation cell has done little to shake her mom’s view that the prison system abused her daughter terribly.

The video in this story was taken while Smith was in the prison system. The 19-year-old strangled herself in her cell in 2007 while guards delayed going in to save her. Thursday, a lawyer for the Warden at the Kitchener prison where Smith died repeated Cindy Berry’s contention that she never gave orders to guards to stay out of Smith’s cell as long as the teen was breathing. He’s also urging jurors against a finding of homicide.

But Smith’s mother Coralee hopes that’s exactly what the jurors decide: “I really think other people were responsible. I don’t think it was all in Ashley’s hands and, well the people who were around her and the people were taking care of her, you know, it was a conglomerate.”

All that’s left in the inquest now is for the presiding coroner to charge the jury on Monday. Then, the five women jurors will retire to grapple with their verdict and recommendations.