Story updated Oct 3 to include new information. James Melvin Jr., who is representing himself during an attempted murder trial in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax, did not make a closing argument to the jury on Tuesday. Melvin’s trial started with jury selection on September 11. He has pled not guilty to charges of […]
Justice
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Province reluctant to legislate university sexual assault policies
With orientation week just around the corner, thousands of students attending Nova Scotian universities will be living, working and learning on campuses without developed sexual assault policies. The problem, according to the Canadian Federation of Students, is the Nova Scotia Liberal Party’s reluctance to pass legislation mandating the development of sexual assault policies on all […]
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Jade Brooks turns her trauma into teaching
When Jade Brooks was 15, she thought she met the love of her life. He wooed her, bought her gifts, took her on dates and told her that he was in love. Looking back now, she recognizes him as her trafficker—the man who manipulated her into moving from her home near Uniacke Square and selling […]
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Home for Colored Children inquiry still on track
It’s been over six months since a progress report was released by the restorative inquiry examining past abuse at the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children. Officials plan to have their next update ready for the fall, to be made public shortly after MLAs resume sitting at Province House, says inquiry spokesperson Tony Smith. Smith, […]
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Domestic violence court fast-tracked
A Halifax court designed specifically to deal with domestic violence will open sooner than planned. The court, based on a pilot project in Sydney, Cape Breton, appeared set to launch sometime in 2018. But at a recent meeting between provincial justice department bureaucrats and community advocates, it was announced the court will be up and […]
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The long road to forgiveness
Driving along the winding, dirt road into British Columbia’s mountains, the heavily wooded area made Fern McCuish feel like she should be on a relaxing visit to a lumber camp, but instead she was full of anxiety. This was no camp, but a prison. She was about to come face-to-face with her father’s killer, 17 […]
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The aftermath of the Sandeson verdict
“Turn around and take a bow, Billy,” Taylor Samson’s mom said to the man who murdered her son. William Sandeson, 24-years-old and showing no emotion, walked out of a Halifax courtroom this past Sunday after Justice Josh Arnold said he would likely be sentenced to life in prison with no parole for 25 years. Sandeson’s […]
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Sandeson murder case almost derailed over mistrial
The first-degree murder trial of medical student William Sandeson was almost thrown out by the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia six weeks into proceedings. Sandeson is accused of murdering 22-year-old Taylor Samson during a drug deal involving 20-pounds of marijuana the night of August 15, 2015. Samson’s body has yet to be found. The Crown […]
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Not guilty—what the jury heard in Jimmy Melvin Jr.’s murder trial
“Who’ve you got to testify against me—that’s reliable?” Jimmy Melvin Jr. asked, according to police. “You don’t got no weapon. I know that.” It was 2015 and Melvin was in police booking, again. The infamous Spryfield gangster and convicted felon had been picked up as he pulled into a convenience store on the Bedford Highway, […]
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Trapped inside a murder trial
It is 2017 and my family is once again forced to file into uncomfortable airport-style chairs in a dismal courtroom in Montréal. The interior is a muted, ’70s yellow-grey that’s reminiscent of vomit. It’s fitting, seeing as every time I enter the Palais de Justice it induces that semi-panicked feeling you have right before your […]
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Checking up on street checks
Halifax police are still waiting for an independent analysis of its street check data before deciding what, if any, action to take on the controversial practice. In the meantime, more and more records keep getting added to the pile. A January CBC investigation analyzed over a decade of Halifax Regional Police data and found that […]
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Michelle Coffin is reclaiming her story
On a recent Sunday afternoon in May, Michelle Coffin’s doorbell rang. Leaving her apartment to answer it, she was surprised to find her upstairs neighbours already in the shared vestibule of their building. Just beyond them stood the Liberal MLA seeking re-election in her riding, Labi Kousoulis. Next to him, to bolster support, was federal […]
