Life sentence for man who killed over potato chips

A man whobeat a fellow inmate to deathover a bag of potato chips at Torontos Don Jail has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance ofparole for 12 years.

Jeff Munro, who suffered from mental illness and struggled with addiction, was kicked to death in his cell in November 2009 by fellow inmate Troy Campbell, 26.

Campbell attacked Munro, 32, for taking and eating his bag of potato chips.

Campbell stomped on Munro's head as he lay in his cot. Other prisoners overheard him saying "nobody punks me off for a bag of chips."

Prior to sentencingCampbell for second-degree murder on Wednesday Justice John McMahon said "this is a tragic case of a defenceless, mentally ill young man losing his life in the Don Jail. Jeff Munro was beaten to death because he ate another prisoner's bag of chips."

During sentencing Justice McMahon pointed out that Campbell suffered from schizophrenia and had been in and out of mental health facilities since he was 15 but said his mental illness "didn't play a role in the killing."

He said Campbell's long history of violent assault and robbery includes10 convictions, including one for assaulting a jail guard.

Hementioned thatCampbell had taken responsibility for his actions and had spared Munro's family the pain of a trial by pleading guilty to the killing. Campbell was originally charged with first-degree murder, but the Crown accepted his guilty plea on a reduced charge.

Campbell showed no emotion as he was led away in handcuffs.

Family has filed civil lawsuit

Outside the courthouse, Christine Munro said she will never get over her son's murder.

"Everyday life, my everyday being, has been affected and always will be," she said.

In her victim impact statement which was read in court she wrote that the loss of her son continues to haunt her.

"To this day I am dependent on medication to assist with three hours ofsleep a night. There is not a day that goes by that I do not cry."

She hopes something good will come of her son's death, namely better protection for mentally ill people in custody.

She said she wants"mentally ill people put in a different facility and that there's surveillance everywhere and that there are guards walking at all times."

At the time he was killed, Munro was on a ward that housed psychiatric patients. He was picked up for a minor offence and waiting toappear incourt.

His family has filed a lawsuit against the province.

They are also waiting for an inquest, which they hope will shed light on how the beating could have happened without guards knowing about it.