Nova Scotia

2 men found guilty in 9-year-old Nova Scotia homicide case

Two people have now been convicted of killing Matthew Sudds in October 2013. 

Matthew Sudds was killed by a single gunshot wound to the head in October 2013

A man stands in a bedroom
Matthew Thomas Sudds was killed in 2013. His body was found near Africville Park in Halifax by a passerby. (Facebook)

Two people have now been convicted of killing Matthew Sudds in October 2013. 

A jury found Ricardo Jerrell Whynder guilty of manslaughter in a verdict delivered last Friday. And with that conviction, a publication ban covering details of the trial of Whynder's co-accused, Devin Tyson Glasgow, has been lifted.

Glasgow was tried earlier this year on a charge of first-degree murder. A jury convicted him of the lesser charge of second-degree murder on March 4. But to protect Whynder's fair trial rights, details from the Glasgow trial could not be reported at the time.

Matthew Sudds was killed by a single gunshot wound to the head. His body was found along the side of Africville Road near the Bedford Basin in Halifax. 

Whynder was arrested in 2017 and charged with first-degree murder. He was convicted of second-degree murder following a jury trial in 2017. But Whynder appealed his conviction and won, leading to the trial that wrapped up last week.

A man is escorted down the stairs of a courthouse by sheriffs.
Ricardo Whynder in Halifax provincial court on March 14, 2016. (Craig Paisley/CBC)

Whynder also testified at Glasgow's trial earlier this year and he laid the blame for the murder entirely on Glasgow. Glasgow was initially arrested in the case in 2019 and transported to Nova Scotia from British Columbia, where he was serving time in prison for other offences.

Evidence presented at the trials said Whynder called Sudds and set up a meeting for Oct. 10, 2013. Sudds, Glasgow and Whynder then got in a rental car in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant in north-end Halifax, a short distance away from where Sudds's body was discovered four days later.

Sudds's mother, Darlene Sudds, testified that she'd heard her son got in a dispute with Whynder just before his murder and the fight was over a large gold chain that she said her son always wore. Darlene Sudds said Whynder stole her son's necklace and beat him up, but she said Matthew was able to recover the jewelry.

But when he testified, Whynder denied stealing a necklace or beating up Matthew Sudds.

Glasgow's murder conviction carries an automatic life sentence. The case will return to court in July, so the judge can determine how much time he must serve before he can begin applying for parole.

Whynder's case also returns to court in July for sentencing.

Both men are in jail awaiting their final court appearances.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Blair Rhodes

Reporter

Blair Rhodes has been a journalist for more than 40 years, the last 31 with CBC. His primary focus is on stories of crime and public safety. He can be reached at blair.rhodes@cbc.ca

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