A man currently serving jail time for murder has received an additional sentence after being convicted of escaping from custody. Appearing in a Bracebridge courtroom, Jamesie Kownirk, 42, from Iqaluit, Nunavut, pleaded guilty to his escape from the Beaver Creek correctional facility in Gravenhurst.
During the court proceedings, it was revealed that on January 5, 2025, the Bracebridge OPP were notified after a head count at Beaver Creek at 6:30 PM showed that Kownirk was missing. Authorities discovered footprints in the snow leading into the woods, and a canine unit located him approximately 1.5 kilometres away. Kownirk was located around 9:30 PM on the same day. He had sustained two bites from a dog and eventually emerged from the woods, requiring treatment from EMS before being taken to a hospital due to low body temperature.
In 2011, Kownirk was sentenced to second-degree murder for the death of Jean-Denis Mitrow in Ottawa, where he admitted to fatally stabbing his mother’s companion during an episode of heavy drinking. Kownirk is scheduled for a parole hearing in June 2027 and has expressed hopes for release. The court noted that he has since been transferred to a medium-security facility. He was sentenced to an additional four months to be served concurrently with his existing sentence.
Don’t miss out on Doppler!Sign up here to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.
Local news in your inbox six times per week!
Click here to support local news
I love very close to this jail and I really wish there was more of a system to let us know WHEN MURDERERS HAVE ESCAPED. I don’t care if it’s 4 minutes or 4 hours Or 4 days… There should be a way of maybe notifying the surrounding residents.