Killer Donald Musselman dies in custody

Donald Musselman, who was convicted for the murder of an Ottawa musicianand pleaded guilty to killing another inmate while in custody,has died.

Correctional Services Canada (CSC) confirmed Musselman's died on Oct. 15while in custody at the Joyceville Institution near Kingston, Ont.,in a news release Wednesday. CSC did not provide a cause of death, nor any additional information.

Musselman'snext of kin have been notified of his death, CSC said. Spokesperson Mike Shrider saidboth the department and the coroner's officewill review the circumstancesof his death.

At the time of his death, Musselman was 24 and had been serving a life sentence for second-degree murder since May.

'Now there will be no redemption'

Musselman was found guilty in December 2023inthe shooting death of Ottawa musician Markland Campbell, 42,in the ByWard Market in 2019. Hewas sentenced to life in prisonfor that crime.

In September, he pleaded guilty to thejailhouse beating death of Zakaria Sheek-Husseinat the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre. That conviction added eightyears to his sentence.

ChristopherWiens, 45, knew Campbell for 34 years. The twowere members of the samehip-hop group Half-Sized Giants.

WienscalledMusselman's death "a tragedy" and said Campbell, who tried to reach and give voice to marginalized youth in Ottawa through his music,would have wanted the young man to turn his life around.

"The whole foundation of [Campbell's] message was to give a voice to the same marginalized youth, like DonaldMusselman, who was convicted of his murder," Wiens said.

"Now,there will be noredemption from Mr. Musselman, and I believe Markland would have wanted [redemption for him]."