Police in Truro have charged a second person in connection with the stabbing death of a Nova Scotia man.
Barbara Elizabeth Marshall was arrested without incident Wednesday at the Truro courthouse in connection with the death of 26-year-old Ben Hare.
The 24-year-old Halifax resident, formerly of Truro, was held overnight and charged with second-degree murder.
“Ms. Marshall was a person of interest in the case very early on in the investigation,” says Chief David MacNeil of the Truro Police. “Through our continued investigation and forensic evidence from the lab, it helped strengthen our case and we were able to lay a charge.”
Hare was found dead outside an apartment building on Lyman Street in Truro on July 8, 2010. Police say he died from stab wounds he sustained in a fight, and Marshall is the second person to be charged in his death.
Police arrested 24-year-old Dustan Preeper of Halifax on Tuesday. He is also facing a charge of second-degree murder in Hare’s death.
Preeper was first arrested and charged with second-degree murder two years ago, shortly after Hare’s death, but the charge was withdrawn and Preeper was released.
Hare's family and friends say nothing will ever bring him back, but murder charges, however late, will help them cope with the loss.
“I’m just glad that it’s finally able to come to a point where justice is able to take place,” says friend Evan Price. “It's been a long time. The police have done a lot of work behind the scenes I guess.”
“It’s a major help,” says friend Matthew DeuVille. “It's a lot of closure and it's a lot of weight lifted off people's shoulders.”
Preeper has also been charged with first-degree murder in the death of 20-year-old Melissa Peacock of Dartmouth, who was reported missing in November.
Preeper’s younger brother, 20-year-old Joshua Preeper of Kennetcook, was also arrested Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder in Peacock’s death.
Police say Peacock and Hare didn’t know each other, but they both knew the Preeper brothers.
Today, the Hare family says they are thinking of the Peacock family and of Melissa, whose body was found Tuesday in a rural area off a logging road in Upper Stewiacke, N.S.
“It's a tragic, tragic loss for their family,” says Deuville. “I feel so bad for them that they have to go though the same thing that the Hare family has to go through.”
Marshall is due back in court next week, while the Preeper brothers will be back in court in August and September.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kayla Hounsell