Man charged with murder in death of fellow N.S. mental health facility patient

A 32-year-old man is now facing a second-degree murder charge in the death of a fellow patient at the East Coast Forensic Hospital in May 2024.

The facility is a specialized mental health facility in Dartmouth, N.S., that provides rehabilitation to individuals who have been found not criminally responsible (NCR) or unfit to stand trial by the Nova Scotia justice system.

Halifax Regional Police say they were initially called on May 9, 2024, to the location, after a patient had been assaulted by another patient.

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A 69-year-old man was taken to hospital with serious injuries, police say.

Mohamed Issak was initially charged with aggravated assault and remanded back to the facility. In July, the victim, Allen Nickerson, died in hospital.

“The Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service has concluded Nickerson’s death was a homicide,” police said in a Thursday update.

“The charges against Issak have been upgraded to second-degree murder.”

Issak is scheduled to appear in court Friday.

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