Halifax police say charges laid in 2009 Terry Marriott Jr. homicide

WATCH ABOVE: Jimmy Melvin Jr. has been charged with first-degree murder in the 2009 shooting death of Terry Mariott Jr. Natasha Pace reports.

HALIFAX – Well-known Halifax criminal Jimmy Melvin Jr. has been charged in a high-profile 2009 murder.

Terry Marriott Jr., 34, was found shot to death on the evening of Feb. 20, 2009 inside a home on Whitehead Road in Harrietsfield.

Police said at the time they did not believe this was a random act.

Homicide investigators, along with the Halifax Regional Police Emergency Response Team, arrested Melvin on Saturday around 8 p.m. in a vehicle in the 600-block of Bedford Highway.

He was held in custody overnight and was remanded to the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility Sunday morning. He is scheduled to appear in Halifax Provincial Court on Monday to face charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder.

Supt. Jim Perrin, officer-in-charge of the Integrated Criminal Investigation Division, told reporters on Sunday afternoon that the charges were the result of years of hard work by investigators and civilian employees.

“Mr. Melvin has been a suspect in this homicide for several years, ” Perrin said.

“A charge of first-degree murder means that there was some planning to the event and that’s the evidence that we put forward to the Crown — that this was a premeditated murder.”

Perrin said new information emerged in the last few weeks that led to the arrest and charges.

He also said police are not concerned about retribution.

“We have no reason to believe that any subsequent incidents will come as a result of today’s event.”

Marriott’s murder had been added to the Nova Scotia Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes program, however police said the reward was not a factor in Melvin’s arrest.

According to police, it’s anticipated Melvin will face more charges as a result of a drug search on his vehicle.

With files from Natasha Pace