'God is calling me home,' inmate who died at Regina Correctional Centre wrote in note: inquest

Waylon Starr left multiple suicide notes for those he knew would find his body, the inquest into his death while in the Regina Correctional Centre heard Tuesday.

"Sorry but God is calling me home," Starr wrote in one note.

Another said:  "I'll watch over all my family and help them in the spirit world." 

Starr died by asphyxiation at the Regina Correctional Centre on Aug. 24, 2017. He was alone in his cell, where he had covered up the window. 

Medical personnel tried unsuccessfully to revive the unresponsive man when they discovered him.

No 'red flags'

The day of his death Starr complained of stomach pain, but was denied a trip to the medical unit.

Some medical records show Starr denied having mental health issues or suicidal thoughts.

On his intake form to the secure unit on July 5, Starr said he had tried to commit suicide about a month before that while he was high. He denied having suicidal thoughts but checked self-harming behaviours.

Starr told the nurse that day he had been an inpatient in the psychiatric ward in the past and had seen a doctor, but was not prescribed any medication for mental health issues. 

Starr was not treated for any mental health issues while in the secure facility and workers said he didn't show any "red flags."

I got to live with that myself, seeing that image every day and every night.- Justin Amyotte, guard on duty 

Model inmate, guard says

Corrections officer Justin Amyotte was assigned to oversee Starr's unit the night he died.

"He's what we would call a model inmate," Amyotte told the inquiry. "He was polite. He never gave us issues."

At 7:57 p.m., a camera shows Amyotte doing a check of the unit. At 9:00 p.m., Amyotte logged a check but wasn't seen on camera.

He said he got a visual on all the inmates in their cells from the common area through their large cell windows.

Amyotte said the inmates were yelling at each other and he told them to quiet down and remembered seeing Starr at his door. 

For two-and-a-half hours the guard on duty wasn't seen on camera going down the corridor where Starr's cell was.

At 10:27 p.m., the guard is seen on camera doing another check and less than 30 seconds in, he sees that Starr's window is covered with a garbage bag.

No response from Starr's obscured cell

Amyotte said he told Starr to take it down but he received no response. Amyotte then asked for assistance to open his door and found Starr unresponsive. 

Amyotte was one of three workers who tried CPR on Starr in an attempt to resuscitate. He said he was waiting for Starr to start breathing but that didn't happen. 

"I got to live with that myself, seeing that image every day and every night," said Amyotte, who broke down on the stand. "I remember just sweating and coming out of there just shaking.

"I tried everything. It really hurts I couldn't bring him back," he said. 

The Saskatchewan Coroners Service is responsible for investigations of all sudden and unexpected deaths in Saskatchewan.

The purpose of such inquests is to determine the details surrounding the death. Inquests are not done if coroner says the person's death was due to natural causes and was not preventable.

The coroner's jury may also make recommendations to prevent similar deaths.

The inquest into Starr's death, being held at the Regina Court of Queen's Bench building, started Monday and is scheduled to continue until Friday.