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Clapp murder suspect hospitalized

Jason Lusted, one of two men detained in the death of Pelham resident Earl Clapp, allegedly attempted suicide by hanging himself last week while in custody at the Niagara Detention Centre in Thorold, a source has told the Voice.
An image of Jason Lusted posted to his Facebook page. FACEBOOK

Jason Lusted, one of two men detained in the death of Pelham resident Earl Clapp, allegedly attempted suicide by hanging himself last week while in custody at the Niagara Detention Centre in Thorold, a source has told the Voice.

The Ministry of the Solicitor General — the governing body of Ontario corrections facilities — confirmed that an inmate remained hospitalized as of Sunday after being found in medical distress at the jail on Nov. 5.

“The ministry can confirm that an inmate was found in medical distress on November 5th, 2020 at the Niagara Detention Centre,” spokesperson Greg Flood told the Voice. “The inmate was transported to hospital and remains in hospital at this time. It would inappropriate to comment any further as it would a breach of the inmate’s health privacy.”

Lusted is "on life support" according to a source.

Lusted, 49, of no fixed address, was arrested on Oct. 10 — eight days after Clapp was dragged to his death by a vehicle police believe was involved in the attempted theft of a trailer from the 74-year-old’s Centre Street property.

Like Lusted, 39-year-old Matthew MacInnes, of Wellandport, was also arrested and charged with second-degree murder.

A day after Lusted’s arrest, he allegedly attacked a guard at the Thorold detention centre. Lusted made a brief video court appearance on Oct. 19 and is due back in court Nov. 27. MacInnes is set to appear again this week.

Lusted was prominently involved in the still-unresolved, decade-and-a-half-old Hamilton murder of Billy Mason. Lusted testified against alleged accomplice Jeremy Hall in that case, claiming he was a bystander as Hall shot Mason and burned his corpse in 2006. Mason’s ultimate conviction was overturned on appeal in part because of defense lawyers attacking Lusted’s credibility. A verdict in that retrial had been scheduled for last month, but Lusted’s arrest in the Clapp death has prompted Hall’s lawyers to ask for more time to review items “relevant to a material issue in the case.”



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John Chick

About the Author: John Chick

John Chick has worked in and out of media for some 20 years, including stints with The Score, CBC, and the Toronto Sun. He covers Pelham Town Council and occasional other items for PelhamToday, and splits his time between Fonthill and Toronto
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