Sacha Bond

Photograph of Sacha Bond, obtained from Facebook.

Sacha Bond’s blue, smiling eyes left an impression on those who met him, as did his warm, contagious smile. He was adored by his mother Diane Levesque, his brother Eric, his father Guy Bond and a wide and loving group of family and friends.

Sacha was due to be released in 2022, after serving more than 15 years in prison. But instead, he died a difficult and inhumane death on August 16, 2020 in a Florida hospital far from home, aged just 35. In July, Sacha was found, confined to a cell, collapsed with a fever of almost 105 degrees, after having been left unattended for over 16 hours. Soon unconscious and with his temperature still rising, he was admitted to the hospital where he was found to have multiple organ failure, severe blood infection and irreparable brain damage. His brother Eric described to The Canadian Press the debilitating experience of his brother’s death: “It’s like watching someone getting squashed in a garbage compactor in slow motion - that’s how I felt.” Chained to his bed, under the watch of armed guards even while in a coma, Sacha never woke. He never recovered. After being taken off life support on July 31, Sacha fought for another two weeks before passing away on August 16. 

Sacha did not die from COVID-19. He was diagnosed with serotonin syndrome and neuroleptic malignant syndrome, likely a result of changes in medication, which Eric said to CityNews Canada affected his serotonin levels. Sacha’s family, who live in Quebec, Canada, had asked doctors at the prison to stop making the drug switches because the ones he was taking were working well, Eric added. 

Sacha’s family has also cited the extremely poor conditions of his confinement cell - which they are working tirelessly to clarify - as possible contributing factors to his passing. His mother Diane emphasized this in conversation with GlobalNews Canada, saying, “It was sudden and it was because of that cell, it was because of where they put him,” a cell where Sacha spent three months in solitary confinement. These poor living standards were highlighted by Sacha in his last letter to his family, dated July 5, where he detailed being placed in a solitary cell for an extended period of time. He wrote, “It has no ventilation at all, it’s so hot I sweat all day. I have a heat rash all over my body, there is black mold all over the cell, this should be illegal. I don’t know what to do to get out of this cell.”

Painting of Sacha Bond by Eric Bond, by way of artstation.com.

By the time his mother was able to locate him and join him at the Florida hospital - a hospital she praises for its empathetic care - her son had been on life support for almost two weeks. She was horrified by his condition, the lack of care in prison and the inhumane treatment by the security guards, who forced him to remain shackled even after his death. Diane was thrown out of the room at 7:00pm. Sacha died at 8:07pm. He remained chained to the bed for three hours after he passed. “How can his soul leave his body when he’s stuck, chained to the bed?” Diane was quoted as asking in a report by CTVNews of Canada.  

Sacha’s family had worked for years to have him transferred to Canada, where they felt support for his mental health needs would be more attentive and overall duty of care would be better delivered. Year after year, their requests were denied. In Diane’s words, “Canada does nothing. They’re standing by… He’ll be another statistic - that a Canadian died in a U.S. prison. You know what? He’s a human being, he’s my son.” 

For family and friends that remember Sacha as an “awesome kid,” the pain and cruelty of his death is devastating. His online memorial page gushes with love for him. Helene Bond spoke for many who loved him when she wrote, “We all hoped that you would come back to us and we would welcome you back with big hugs and kisses… You have suffered for so long and we all wish that we could have been there for you. Spread your wings Sacha and fly, be free at last. We will miss you terribly. We know that you will be an angel for those who need one.”

Diane wrote:

“Sacha Mon Beau Coeur, Je T’Aime , Tu Me Manque Tellement Mon Ange, je manque tes appels à tout les soirs, notre temps de rire ensemble et de se raconter nos journée. Tu es une grosse partie de moi et tu seras Toujours dans Mon Coeur dans Mes Pensés et dans Mes Mémoires. Je T’Aime , Je T’Aime , Je T’Aime et je sais que tu m’attendras à bras ouverts avec ton sourire contagieux quand sera mon temps d’aller te rejoindre là haut et en attendant tu es Mon Ange Gardien qui me protégera pour Toujours. Je sais que tu es finalement en paix” 

Translation:

“Sacha my beautiful heart, I love you, I miss you terribly my angel, I miss your phone calls every evening, our moments laughing together and recounting our days. You are a big part of me and you will always be in my heart, my thoughts and my memories. I love you, I love you, I love you, and I know that you will be waiting for me with open arms and your contagious smile when the time comes for me to join you up above, and in the meantime you are my guardian angel who will protect me forever. I know that you are finally at peace.”

Eric shared:

“OH My little Brother Sacha, HOW I WILL MISS YOU !!!! . You will forever be part of me . I promise that i will take care of Mom and Pop and know that you will too.

knowing that they can't hurt you anymore because you are free, is all i've ever wanted for you.

I know that you are just on the other side of this thin veil that we call life and death, but know that i can hear you always. Your love reaches us and is alive in [our] hearts and that Love is an unbreakable BOND. I will for ever keep your humor ,laughter and strengths with me.

Please be the first to open the door for me when it is my time to cross. DEVINE LOVE ,LIGHT AND JOY BE WITH YOU ALWAYS SACHA”

Eric told The Canadian News, “Throughout this whole odyssey of seeing him in prison for 17 years, we really thought that his tenacity and his courage would have seen him come out.” Tragically, the odds were insurmountably stacked up against Sacha. His final diary entry was another plea for help, along with a drawing of the cell door - the last thing he ever saw. 

We mourn Sacha’s loss, the joy, love and light that have been denied, the daily phone calls with his loving family that will no longer take place.

This memorial was written by MOL team member Cecile Ramin with information from reporting by Solarina Ho of CTVNEWS.CA, Sidhartha Banerjee of The Canadian Press, a memorial page published by Dignity Memorial, and a documentary film created by Eric Bond.