Bedsheet loop was inside Timi Gusak’s cell before his suicide, inquest hears

The inquest into the death of Timi Gusak, a man charged with sexually assaulting three young girls in Waterloo Region, began on Monday.

Gusak was awaiting trial at Maplehurst Correctional Centre when, in Oct. 2019, he was found in a cell in medical distress and later died.

Eight witnesses are expected to testify in the inquest, which is mandatory under the Coroners Act.

The inquest

On Monday morning, inquest counsel Kim Motyl went over the details of what happened leading up to Gusak's death.

The 32-year-old was facing three charges of sexual assault against young girls, as well as child pornography charges.

When Gusak arrived at Maplehurst in Aug. 2019, he requested to be put into segregation as he feared how other inmates would view him based on his charges.  

Gusak allegedly told prison staff, and his family, that he was concerned for his safety after being “bullied” by inmates and correctional staff.

A mental health nurse treated Gusak on Sept. 20, about eight days before his death. The visit was prompted by a call to Maplehurst from Gusak’s mother, who voiced concerns over his suicidal thoughts. The nurse did an assessment and told the inquest Gusak spoke quietly was fidgeting during their interaction. She said he “indicated he was fearful for his life” because of his charges. She said he wouldn’t elaborate on any thoughts of suicide.  

“He appeared to be paranoid about other inmates,” she told the inquest.

Based on the encounter and the call from his mother, the nurse placed Gusak on suicide watch.

A staff sergeant who worked at Maplehurst at the time of Gusak’s death also testified on Monday.

He went over general procedures at Maplehurst and explained that any inmates on suicide watch were observed by guards every 10 minutes.

He said it was always an inmate’s decision if they wanted to go into segregation – typically because of worries about the treatment they’d receive from other inmates.

Motyl also asked the sergeant about bedding protocol. He said inmates often got creative with bedsheets, sometimes using them as skipping ropes, hammocks and backpacks.

Technically they’re considered contraband, but the sergeant said staff often let it slide because it’s so commonplace.

The staff sergeant is expected to continue his testimony on Tuesday.

Day of Gusak's death

The inquest heard that on the day before Gusak’s death he was transferred to a new cell in the segregation unit.

When he moved into the cell, it already had a piece of bedsheet material tied into a loop. It’s not known who created the bedsheet loop, how it got there, and why it wasn’t removed before Gusak was brought into the cell.

The inquest heard that Gusak was last seen in his cell via security camera footage at 12:10 a.m. At 12:31 a.m., guards were doing a walkthrough and that’s when they spotted Gusak’s body in his cell.

He was in a seated position with the loop of bedding around his neck.

An officer went into the cell to help. They resuscitated Gusak and regained a pulse. Gusak was brought to Milton District Hospital, but doctors told his parents there was no hope for recovery and they made the decision to remove him from life support on Oct. 8, 2019.

History of the case

On July 6, 2019, a four-year-old girl was sexually assaulted at an apartment building on Brybeck Crescent in Kitchener. Waterloo regional police said the child was playing when a man approached her and assaulted her in a stairwell.

Surveillance video of the man was released to the public which showed the suspect running down the street without a shirt on.

Police also shared video of a car he was seen driving before the assault.

Later that month, police said the man was also wanted for two other unsolved sexual assaults in the region. One on Patricia Avenue in 2017 involved a six-year-old, and the other, on Barrie Place in 2013 involved a four-year-old.

Those two incidents also happened in apartment building stairwells.

Police said they connected the three assaults using DNA evidence.

Timi Gusak was arrested on Aug. 15 and charged with sexual assaults on all three girls, as well as possession of child pornography.

Gusak appeared in a Kitchener courtroom on Sept. 26 where he was denied bail.

He died less than two weeks later.

None of the allegations against Gusak were proven in court and the case against him was withdrawn after his death.