Oft-delayed inquest into death of mentally ill teen inmate to start anew

TORONTO – The oft-delayed inquest into the death of a young woman in an Ontario prison is set to start anew.

Coroner Dr. Bert Lauwers says there will be a hearing in Toronto on Thursday, Sept. 20 for those interested in standing at the inquest into the death of Ashley Smith.

Smith, a 19-year-old from Moncton, N.B., choked herself to death in a Kitchener, Ont., facility in 2007.

The troubled teen was transferred between facilities 17 times during the last 11 months of her life, spending much of her time in segregation units.

The inquest began in May 2011 but proceedings were closed the following September after the coroner originally appointed to preside over the case retired.

Smith was first sent to prison at 13 for throwing crab apples at a postal worker but her time behind bars ballooned with a number of in-custody incidents.