An inmate serving time at an Abbotsford prison for second-degree murder has died of natural causes, the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) stated on Tuesday (July 16).
CSC said in a press release that Eugene Raymond Benoit, 69, died July 13 while in custody at Pacific Institution.
The CSC said he had been serving an indeterminate sentence since Feb. 23, 1987.
"As in all cases involving the death of an inmate, CSC will review the circumstances. CSC policy requires that the police and the coroner be notified," the press release states.
Court documents indicate that Benoit and three others, including victim Henry Pylypiak, were in Benoit's house in Port Moody on May 9, 1986, and were drinking heavily. The documents state that Pylypiak became "erratic," and Benoit punched him so hard in the mouth that "parts of his teeth came out."
One of the other men also punched Pylypiak and kicked him, while another brought a baseball bat into the house. Benoit used the bat to smash Pylypiak on the head and kill him, the documents state.
The next day, the three men buried Pylypiak's body at Furry Creek near Squamish.
On May 15, 1986, one of the men reported the murder to police, and Benoit was subsequently charged.
He lost an appeal of his conviction in February 1991.
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