The Victoria man who received a 16-year sentence for the March 2015 strangling death of his common-law wife, Caitlin Walton, has died in prison.
Correctional Service Canada said Daniel Penney, who was an inmate at the Matsqui Institution in Abbotsford, died on Oct. 29 while in custody of apparent natural causes.
According to Correctional Services Canada, emergency services were called and Penney could not be resuscitated.
Penney, 54, killed Walton, 46, on March 13, 2015, inside the couple’s house on Queens Avenue in Victoria. Penney had asked Walton to come over with insulin for his diabetes and clothes.
At the time, Penney was under court-ordered conditions to not have contact with Walton. The conditions stemmed from a domestic dispute the previous month.
Penney then drove to his home in Volmer Road in Colwood and tried to kill himself by running his car inside a closed garage. His 19-year-old daughter noticed the car had been running and told a tenant. The tenant called 911.
WATCH: The family of Caitlin Walton reacts to the sentencing of Daniel Penney, who was charged in connection with her death.
Two RCMP officers broke into the garage and saved Penney. They had to be treated in hospital.
READ MORE: Family of Caitlin Walton react to sentencing of man charged in her death
Penney had been ordered to stay away from the Volmer Road home, with the exception of the garage, which is where he ran an auto repair and hauling business. He was also ordered to avoid the Hillside Seniors Health Centre where Walton worked.
Penney was charged with second-degree murder but accepted a plea deal for the lesser charge, avoiding a B.C. Supreme Court trial. With credit for time served, Penney was set to be in prison for 12 years, seven months and 13 days starting on June 15, 2017. He had to serve at least half of his sentence before being eligible for parole.
His next of kin have been notified of his death. The police and the BC Coroners Service has also been notified. Correctional Service Canada will review the circumstances of the death.
Alexa Huffman
