Two people accused in the murder of a woman and the attempted murder of a man in Dartmouth last week made their first court appearance Monday morning.
A sheriff sat between 19-year-old Samanda Rose Ritch of Halifax and 23-year-old Calvin Maynard Sparks of Dartmouth as they appeared in Dartmouth provincial court.
Ritch has been charged with one count each of first-degree murder, attempted murder, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and breach of a recognizance.
Sparks has been charged with one count each of first-degree murder, attempted murder, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and breach of probation.
Ritch and Sparks are due back in court on July 24.
The charges were laid after Halifax Regional Police responded to a report of an assault on Hastings Drive around 7:42 p.m. Friday.
When officers arrived, they found an injured man outside an apartment building and an unresponsive woman inside the building.
The man was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene and her death has been ruled a homicide. She has been identified as 35-year-old Nadia Gonzales of Dartmouth.
According to her obituary, Gonzales had two daughters. A GoFundMe page has been created, seeking donations for her parents and daughters.
