The Elizabeth Fry Society held its annual candlelight vigil in King Square for Ashley Smith, the 19 year old woman from Moncton, who choked herself to death in a Kitchenoer, Ontario jail cell while guards looked on and did not intervene. A lengthy inquest in Toronto is being held into her death but Marianna Stack, President of the Elizabeth Fry Society in Saint John, tells CHSJ News it should be even broader and go back to the very start of her problems in New Brunswick. Stack says while Ashley had difficulties, how she was treated in prison made matters worse and broke her.
She adds New Brunswick has an abysmal history when it comes to young people if you consider the cases of not only Ashley Smith but the crimes perpetrated by Karl Toft at Kingsclear, former Common Councillor Donnie Snook and now deceased former police sergeant and city works employee Ken Estabrooks before that.