Countdown is on, just a week to go! I am desperately trying to keep my expectations in check, but my god am I excited that Marion and her family are finally getting due process!
For anyone that’s interested, here’s some info on what an inquest is and what it can achieve….
The Coroner investigates unexpected or unnatural deaths, as well as long term missing persons that are suspected to be deceased, as is the case with Marion.
The Coroner’s purpose is to determine the identity of the deceased and the circumstances surrounding the death. This is mostly done behind closed doors.
Police assist the Coroner with the investigation, and family and witnesses are interviewed. Many times, this type of investigation is sufficient, the case is closed, and a 'finding without inquest' is published.
Only a very small percentage of cases go to an inquest and court room. These are when a death is part of a larger public safety issue, or cases with significant public interest.
An inquest has the same elements of the initial ‘closed door’ investigation - to determine the circumstances surrounding the death, but they also bring in experts and discuss whether the death was preventable. The Coroner can make recommendations intended to improve law enforcement procedures and public safety.
The main thing to remember is that the Coroner doesn’t ever find people guilty. It's not their purpose. It’s not a criminal court but an inquisitorial court. They can’t actually say, "this person is responsible for that person’s death”.
If during the inquest preparation, law enforcement find proof of suspicious circumstances and involvement of a particular Person Of Interest, then the Coroner usually places their inquest on hold, the POI is charged, and a new case would begin at a criminal court.
Once the criminal component is complete, the Coroner resumes their inquest and gives their finding. They may or may not agree with the criminal court outcome.
I've heard of a few cases where the criminal court let a POI “off the hook” because they didn’t have enough evidence, so once the Coroner finalised their inquest, he made a point of saying the death showed involvement from that same POI, who couldn’t be convicted, lol.
The deceased’s family can appeal the Coroner’s findings. The family are also allowed to see the file once the inquest is done. However, there is usually a caveat that parts of the file not be made public. Media can request the file, but they usually only get a fraction of it, not as much as what the family gets to see.
