Murder charge withdrawn against Dartmouth man in 2018 death of Derek Miles
CBC News | Posted: January 18, 2019 2:44 PM | Last Updated: January 18, 2019
42-year-old man was found in medical distress in a north-end Dartmouth and died at the scene
The Crown has withdrawn all charges against Murray Robert Timmons, 27, who was accused of second-degree murder in a Dartmouth man's death in January 2018.
Miles, 42, was found in medical distress in an apartment on Pinecrest Drive in north-end Dartmouth on Jan. 19, 2018. He died at the scene and the medical examiner ruled his death a homicide the next day.
George Andrew Purvis, 31, of West Chezzetcook, and his uncle Gregory Maxwell Purvis, 53, of Dartmouth, were also charged with second-degree murder.
During the preliminary inquiry for those two men in the fall, Timmons, who is from Dartmouth, testified.
Chris Hansen, speaking for the Public Prosecution Service, said because of that testimony, the Crown's "view of the facts changed and we no longer felt we had a realistic prospect of conviction," against Timmons.
On Dec. 20, George Purvis pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter in Miles's death. His sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 4.
On Jan. 15, Greg Purvis was committed to stand trial on the second-degree murder charge. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Monday.