Nova Scotia

Texas homicide suspect arrested in Halifax to face deportation hearing

A man suspected in a killing in Texas who was arrested in Halifax this week for shoplifting will have a hearing with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada to determine whether he should be sent back to America.

Derek Cameron Whisenand had been wanted on an immigration warrant since June

Derek Cameron Whisenand, 28, is wanted for murder in Texas. (Submitted by RCMP)

A man suspected in a killing in Texas who was arrested in Halifax this week for shoplifting will have a hearing with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada to determine whether he should be sent back to America.

Derek Cameron Whisenand, 28, was picked up by Halifax Regional Police on Monday for shoplifting. He also happened to be the subject of an immigration warrant after slipping into Canada in June.

According to a statement from the board, Whisenand could have an admissibility hearing as soon as next Wednesday. In the meantime, he had a detention hearing Thursday and was ordered to remain in a Nova Scotia correctional facility. A mandatory seven-day detention hearing is also scheduled for Wednesday.

Law officials in Eastland County, Texas, say Whisenand is a suspect in the death of 78-year-old Burton Duane Sanborn.

Following his arrest by Halifax police, Canada Border Services Agency officials took custody of Whisenand and arrested him on the outstanding warrant before referring his case to the immigration board, according to a news release from CBSA on Thursday.

The board "will decide whether or not the minister's allegations (in this case that the person concerned committed a serious crime outside Canada) are well founded, and if so, will issue a removal order," according to the release from CBSA.

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