Mt Eden prison death: Man charged with manslaughter over inmate assault

A man has been charged with manslaughter in relation to the death of Johnathan Trubuhovich at Mt Eden prison on December 9. Photo / Michael Craig

A man has been charged with manslaughter in connection with the death of an elderly Mt Eden prison inmate allegedly assaulted by his cellmate.

Police said a 28-year-old man would appear in the Auckland District Court today over the death of Johnathan Peter Trubuhovich, 69, who was in the Mt Eden Corrections Facility awaiting sentencing on assault, shoplifting and disorderly behaviour charges.

Trubuhovich was seriously assaulted at the prison about 10.40am on November 29.

He was taken to hospital, but died from his injuries on December 9, and police launched a homicide inquiry the same day.

Earlier, Detective Senior Sergeant Martin Friend expressed his condolences to Trubuhovich’s family and said police had investigated the serious assault since they were first notified.

A spokesperson for Trubuhovich’s family told NZME last week they were devastated by his death and wanted answers from officials about how it could have occurred.

Johnathan Trubuhovich's death is the third suspected homicide in double-bunk cells at Mt Eden. Photo / Steven McNicholl

“We thought he was safe,” they said.

“We are not blaming; we just want to know what happened. We don’t want to see this happen again.”

Trubuhovich was set for sentencing on December 15, with the family hoping for him to receive a non-custodial sentence so he could be released before Christmas.

Trubuhovich’s death has triggered the third homicide investigation involving inmates in double-bunk cells at Mt Eden prison since September last year.

Corrections is in the midst of reviewing a risk assessment tool that is used to decide whether prisoners should be residing in a cell with one another, after the two previous deaths.

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