Coroner’s Inquest concludes: Jury states inmate Cordayro Joseph committed suicide

By Zaya Wiliams

The Coroner’s Inquest investigating the death of Cordayro Joseph, an inmate found lifeless five years ago in Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP), reached its conclusion on Thursday, with a verdict delivered by the jury.

The findings revealed that Joseph took his own life on September 24, 2018.

Joseph, aged 27 at the time of his death, was serving a 35-year jail sentence for the murder of Coldrick Lewis on Father’s Day, June 19, 2011, at Clary’s Bar on Fort Road.

His lifeless body was discovered hanging in his prison cell.

Details emerged during the inquest, presided over by Coroner Magistrate Conliffe Clarke and initiated in August.

It was disclosed that on the day of his death, Joseph opted out of the usual morning showering and airing exercise. Instead, he chose to remain in his cell, where another inmate found him hanging upon returning from a shower.

Photographs presented in court depicted Joseph suspended with a piece of cloth around his neck, with a stack of books and bottles near his feet.

Despite the family’s initial disbelief in Joseph’s suicide, the conclusion provides some closure after a long wait for answers.