Three men accused of committing an execution-style murder will not face trial after a judge ruled the abuse they suffered at the Maplehurst Correctional Complex in December 2023 — and the attempts by jail staff to cover up what happened — was such an egregious example of state misconduct that continuing the prosecution would undermine the integrity of the justice system.

“What happened at (Maplehurst) was akin to torture,” Justice Clayton Conlan wrote in a scathing, 113-page decision, which found no legitimate justification for the jail’s violent strip search of nearly 200 inmates, which was ordered two days after one inmate punched a guard.

The operation was “for one reason and one reason only,” Conlan wrote. “It was done for vengeance.”

Conlan’s decision to grant a stay of proceed

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