Three men accused of committing an execution-style murder will not face trial after a judge ruled that the abuse they endured at the Maplehurst Correctional Complex in December 2023 — and the attempts by jail staff to cover up what happened — was such an egregious example of state misconduct that continuing the prosecution would undermine the integrity of the justice system.

In a decision spanning more than 100 pages, Justice Clayton Conlan said the deployment of Maplehurst’s internal riot squad to conduct a mass strip search of nearly 200 inmates two days after an inmate punched a guard was undertaken “for one reason and one reason only. It was done for vengeance.”

Conlan’s decision to grant a stay of proceedings effectively throws out the first-degree murder charges. It is the most ser

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