Inmate killed at Stony Mountain Institution

RCMP are investigating the stabbing death of a 69-year-old inmate of Stony Mountain Institution in Manitoba.

Stonewall RCMP announced on Wednesday that they are investigating the man's death as a homicide.

Cosmo Valente was serving nearly six years for trying to hire someone to kill his former wife and her lawyer, according to a news release that was issued earlier on Wednesday by the Correctional Service of Canada.

Valente, originally from Thunder Bay, Ont., pleaded guilty to two counts of counselling to commit murder. His sentence had started in September 2009.

According to RCMP, the inmate was taken to a Winnipeg hospital on June 12 with stab wounds. He died of his injuries on Monday.

Police said the stabbing incident involved two inmates, but they did not say if any arrests had been made.

Stony Mountain, located just north of Winnipeg, is a medium-security federal penitentiary that houses more than 600 inmates.

As in all cases where an individual dies while in custody, the police and coroner have been notified, according to corrections officials.