A 27-year-old Halifax man has been charged with murder in the November 2016 slaying of Tyler Ronald Joseph Keizer.
Keizer, 22, died at hospital after he was shot in a sport utility vehicle at the corner of Falkland and Gottingen streets in Halifax on Nov. 21, 2016, at about 10:45 p.m. A suspect was seen running from the scene.
Adam Joseph Drake was arrested Wednesday in connection with the killing and was arraigned in Halifax provincial court Thursday on a charge of first-degree murder.
Lawyer Hanna Garson asked that the case be adjourned until March 19, when colleague Ian Hutchison will appear with Drake.
Drake’s court appearance Thursday lasted barely a minute.
“I love you guys,” he said to supporters in the gallery as he was led away by sheriff’s deputies.
“Yeah, keep your head up,” a man replied.
Outside court, Crown attorney Rick Hartlen said the adjournment will allow for preliminary disclosure of evidence to the defence.
Hartlen would not discuss what led to Drake’s arrest almost 28 months after the killing.
“I’m not in a position to give any further information on the charges,” the prosecutor said.
Judge Michael Sherar remanded Drake into custody. If he wants bail, he will have to make an application in Nova Scotia Supreme Court.
“We’re opposed at this point,” Hartlen said. “Obviously, we always look at all the factors that are pertinent on bail, but that’s a matter for a Supreme Court judge to ultimately determine.
“We’re nowhere near having made determinations on anything like that yet.”
Keizer got statutory release from prison Aug. 30, 2016. He was serving a sentence of three years and nine months for robbery.
The homicide was added to the province’s unsolved crimes reward program in 2017. The program offers up to $150,000 for information that leads to a conviction.
“Investigators believe there are additional people who have information about Tyler’s murder, and hope that this arrest and the passage of time will encourage them to do the right thing and come forward with what they know,” Halifax police said in a news release Thursday.
“Our thoughts remain with Tyler’s loved ones and we hope the charges announced today will bring some measure of comfort to them.”
Anyone with information about the Halifax man’s homicide is asked to contact police at 902-490-5016 or submit an anonymous tip to Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers.
This isn’t the first time Drake has been accused of shooting someone.
In July 2013, a man was shot by a masked individual with a handgun in the parking lot outside the Red Fox Bar & Grill in west-end Halifax. Police said the shooting was not a random incident.
Drake was arrested by investigators that October and charged with 11 offences, including attempted murder.
Those charges were all withdrawn in March 2014. A prosecutor didn’t offer any evidence at a preliminary inquiry, saying there was no realistic prospect of conviction.
Brandon John Anderson, who was struck by at least four bullets in the shooting and was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries, told The Chronicle Herald he refused to co-operate with police in the investigation.
