Inquest into slain Ont. nurse hears final submissions

The jury at the inquest into the 2005 stabbing death of Windsor, Ont., nurse Lori Dupont will hear final submissions from lawyers Monday as 10 weeks of testimony wrap up.

Lawyers for Dupont's family, the Ontario Nurses' Association and Windsor's Hôtel-Dieu Grace Hospital are expected to offer their recommendations on how to prevent domestic violence and harassment in the workplace. Six other groups with standing at the inquest will also address the jury.

On Tuesday, coroner Dr. Andrew McCallum will give his closing instructions to the jury, who are expected to deliberate for several days before offering their list of recommendations.

Dupont was slain at the hospital on Nov. 12, 2005, by herex-boyfriend Marc Daniel, who worked there as an anesthesiologist. He hid in a recovery room and then stabbed the 37-year-old recovery room nurse seven times in the chest with a hunting knife.

Daniel later killed himself with a drug overdose.

He hadattempted suicide earlier in 2005, reportedly when Dupont was trying to get him out of her life. Dupont had applied for a peace bond to keep Daniel away from her and was waiting for a court date when she was killed.

Among the questions Dupont's family want answered is why Hôtel-Dieu allowed Daniel to continue working as an anesthesiologist, despite his suicide attempt.

Hospital administrators also said they were aware before the killing that Daniel had been stalking and harassing Dupont for months following their breakup.

In its internal report released in August 2006, Hôtel-Dieu called the fatal stabbing an "unforeseen event" that would have been impossible to predict.