Yarmouth man found guilty of second-degree murder in death of Colton Cook
A jury has delivered a guilty verdict in the 2020 murder of a man from the Yarmouth, N.S., area.
Colton James Cook, 26, was reported missing from Brooklyn, N.S., on Sept. 27, 2020.
Later that day, police found partial remains near his burned truck in Yarmouth.
On Sept. 29, officers found the rest of Colton's remains near the intersection of Saunders and Raynardton Road in South Ohio, N.S.
Robert Charles Rogers of Yarmouth County was charged on Oct. 2 with murder and interfering with human remains.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges and went to trial at the Supreme Court in Yarmouth this month.
Thursday night, the jury found Rogers guilty of second-degree murder and interfering with human remains.
"Happy for the verdict. Right now, I'm overjoyed,” said Colton's mother, Stacey Cook, by phone from her home in Yarmouth.
“It's hard to be there on our end and sit there and watch what you have to watch, hear what you have to hear, and have no say.”
Jennifer Stairs, the director of communications for the Nova Scotia Judiciary, confirmed the guilty verdict to CTV News.
Stairs says the charge carries an automatic life sentence, but the court still needs to determine when Rogers will be eligible for parole. He remains in custody and is due back in court for a sentencing hearing on Feb. 2.
Two other men were arrested in the case and pleaded guilty.
Wayne Richard Crawford of Yarmouth County pleaded guilty on Jan. 3 to second-degree murder. He remains in custody and is set to be sentenced on May 30.
Keith Arthur Siscoe of Yarmouth County pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to murder on July 18, 2022. He remains in custody and is set to be sentenced on Feb. 3.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.