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KINGSTON – A murderer has escaped from the Collins Bay prison and there is a manhunt underway to try to find him.

But this is not just a story about a prison break.

The manhunt for fugitive killer Mason Jenkins raises many more questions that will need answers. Jenkins, 49, originally from Chatham, escaped from the Collins Bay Penitentiary Thursday morning and has not been seen since.

He will stand out if seen in public.

Correctional Services Canada describes him as a “white male, 5-foot-9, approximately 255 pounds with a fair complexion, brown eyes and brown hair, which is currently shaved bald” and wearing a “light green jacket, blue jeans, and rubber boots.”

One of the biggest questions that must be addressed is the part where it is said Jenkins was being held in minimum security inside this institution on Bath Rd. in Kingston.

Why is a first-degree convict in minimum security?

While he has been in prison for more than 25 years since the 1998 shooting murder conviction of his sister, he is a first-degree murder convicted inmate. That he was able to use minimum-security leniency to be able to miss a routine inmate count and slip out is something that the community here will want addressed.

Along with drug trafficking counts, Jenkins was convicted of a very violent and vicious slaying of Jennifer Jenkins on January 6, 1998, who was just 18 at the time.

She was struck with five gunshots to her chest and her head in the family home.

As described in current and file stories in the Chatham Daily News and Kingston Whig Standard , this was a complex investigation and trial that had many twists and turns, with lawyers leaving the case and testimony that talked of Mason Jenkins trying to flee Chatham on horseback and police saying he was threatening to detonate a bomb, which was later determined to be a firecracker.

Could four alleged home invaders have been involved?

But the court also heard the defendant’s claims that there had been a home invasion attempt with four armed suspects and that it was one of them, not Jenkins, who shot his sister. Ultimately, however, he was convicted and, in 2001, sentenced to life in prison with no eligibility for parole for 25 years.

He has always maintained his innocence. His parents also always supported him.

With that in mind, perhaps one way to get Jenkins to surrender and turn himself in would be a guarantee from authorities that there is a full review of the case with a view to see if there is new evidence or that the earlier verdict is sound?

As we have seen before, there is nothing wrong with taking a second, third or fourth look just to be sure.

It’s also important to look at the incarceration of Jenkins. There have been reports he has left the institution with permission for family funerals and it appeared he had the freedom to be able to move around freer than many inmates. Was this the right decision, or was this a mistake?

Requests have also been made to see if he has had parole hearings, which he would be eligible for after serving 25 years.

Time will tell the reason for his escape, but at this point the authorities are warning that this is a very dangerous individual who is on the loose and they warn that if you see him, don’t approach, but call the police immediately.

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