Jimmy Melvin Jr. wants transfer out of Renous prison
Blair Rhodes | CBC News | Posted: February 4, 2016 5:32 PM | Last Updated: February 4, 2016
Halifax man charged with first-degree murder in the 2009 death of Terry Marriott Jr.
Notorious Halifax crime figure Jimmy Melvin Jr. has had a change of heart about his current living accommodations, and now wants a transfer out of a New Brunswick maximum security prison back to a Nova Scotia jail.
Melvin appeared in Nova Scotia Supreme Court this morning via video link from the Atlantic Institution in Renous, N.B.
Melvin is charged with first-degree murder in the 2009 shooting death of Terry Marriott Jr. in Harrietsfield. He's also accused of trying to kill him the year before.
At the end of Thursday's brief court appearance, where lawyers agreed to return in March to set trial dates, Justice Pierre Muise said Melvin would be remain in Renous until his next court appearance.
At that point, Melvin, who had been sitting quietly, slumped over a desk in a room at the federal prison, suddenly sprang to life.
"No. No. No. No," Melvin shouted.
He said he wanted to be transferred back to a Nova Scotia provincial jail pending his trial. This comes even though he had been moved to the prison at his own request, and his lawyer had argued Melvin was being held in isolation in the provincial system.
'You want to come see me in Renous'
He wants out of the New Brunswick prison.
"I can't see my lawyer," Melvin said Thursday.
"You want to come see me in Renous?" Melvin asked Crown attorney Christine Driscoll, who is prosecuting the case.
Melvin's lawyer, Pat MacEwan, told Muise that he's been in touch with Melvin but "Renous is a long ways away."
Muise ordered Melvin transferred from Renous to a provincial facility.
MacEwan told court he'd just received a hard drive full of disclosure from the Crown, and will need time to review that evidence before the next court appearance.
Melvin is co-accused on the attempted murder charge with Regan Taylor Henneberry.
The case against Melvin is going directly to trial without a preliminary inquiry. The Crown took the unusual step of preferring an indictment, which shortens the process.