An inmate has died in custody at Dorchester Penitentiary.

According to a press release from Correctional Service Canada, 70-year-old Melvin Glen Stanton died on March 31.

Stanton had been serving a life sentence since March 16, 1971.

CSC said his next of kin have been notified.

Per CSC policy, the coroner has been notified of Stanton’s death.

In January 1988, after escaping from a community corrections centre in Toronto, Stanton murdered 25-year-old Tema Conter in her apartment building.

Conter was born and raised in Halifax.

Her death led to changes in how CSC works with volunteer organizations.

Established in her memory, the Tema Foundation works with first responders and frontline workers to support their mental health.