Mother of slain man Jason Wright asks in court why he was cellmate with mentally ill killer Benjamin Shuman

The heir to Adelaide’s Popeye boats has been sentenced after beating to death his jail cellmate – with his victim’s mother asking one troubling question.

An impassioned mother has questioned where the “duty of care” was for her son when he was beaten to death by his bipolar prison cellmate – the heir to Adelaide’s iconic Popeye boat fleet.

Benjamin Anthony Shuman, 35, appeared in the Supreme Court on Monday after previously being found not guilty – by way of mental incompetence – of stomping, punching and kicking Jason Douglas Wright, 52, to death inside their Yatala Labour Prison cell in 2023.

In a victim impact statement read to the court through the prosecution, Mr Wright’s mother Frances asked why her son – who was on remand at the time of his death following an alleged assault and failing to appear in court – wasn’t, instead, placed “somewhere safe”.

Mr Wright was found dead in his prison cell. Picture: Wordpress Blog

Frances Wright, right, the mother of Yatala murder victim Jason Wright, leaving the District Court. Picture: Charlie Dadds

“Where is the duty of care when an acutely mentally unwell person – with no previous convictions – is incarcerated in a high-security prison, then placed into a cell with no adequate supervision with somebody also suffering from mental health?” Ms Wright wrote.

“I was informed the charge he was facing was not a jailable offence.

“Why was he not placed somewhere safe – and where his mental health could be maintained and supported? This is a serious issue seen as a violation of a person’s rights.

“My hope is that other families don’t have to go through this trauma caused by mismanagement.”

Mr Wright was found unresponsive in the pair’s cell at 5.35pm in E-Division, but was declared dead at the scene after paramedics attempted to revive him.

Mr Shuman, of Oaklands Park, was removed from the prison and was being held under an inpatient order.

Both men were on remand and were classified as “medium-security” inmates at the time of the incident.

Mr Shuman had been diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder. Picture: Facebook.

Ms Shuman leaves the District Court after her son’s court appearance. Picture: Charlie Dadds

After his death, Mr Wright’s wild rantings on his blog came to light – including troubling online messages about terrorist cults, evil demons and the illuminati.

“I am nephilim – a hybrid of angel and demon,” Mr Wright wrote in his blog, later adding, “Now I will explain the main way evil spirits gain possession over us”.

His killer Mr Shuman is the son of Tony and Lidija Shuman, who own Adelaide’s iconic Popeye boat fleet that tour up and down the River Torrens.

On Monday, Ms Shuman offered no comment to waiting media as she hurried into a waiting vehicle.

Prosecution submitted that – following a forensic report undertaken on his current mental health – Mr Shuman’s risk of relapse and reoffending in the community “remained significant” without the appropriate support required.

Casey Isaacs, for Mr Shuman, told the court a term of life in detention was an “appropriate” order – and that his client was “motivated to better himself”, and had wished to apologise to the Wright family.

Deputy Premier Susan Close MP said the incident was a “heartbreaking tragedy”.

“I feel very much for the mother, and all my sympathy is with her,” Ms Close said.

“I don’t know the circumstances but I have no doubt that it will be looked into very carefully. When we run our prisons we try to run them with the best interests of all the people living there at heart, and the idea that this tragedy has happened is really distressing.”

A Department for Correctional Services spokeswoman said the circumstances surrounding Mr Wright’s death would “be the subject of a coronial inquiry”.

“The death of Mr Wright is a sad and tragic event and the department extends its sympathies to his family and friends,” she said.

On Monday, Justice Anne Bampton ordered Shuman to serve a limiting term of life in James Nash House.

Originally published as Mother of slain man Jason Wright asks in court why he was cellmate with mentally ill killer Benjamin Shuman