Halifax optician’s murder leaves co-workers shaken as killer gets life sentence

A Nova Scotia man has been sentenced to a mandatory term of life in prison, with no chance of parole for 25 years, in the shocking stabbing death of a man inside a downtown Halifax optometry office in 2021.

Cymon Cormier, 28, was found guilty of first-degree murder in June, after a judge rejected his defence that he was not criminally responsible on account of a mental disorder (NCRMD).

The attack, which was described in Justice Christa M. Brothers’s decision as “frenzied” and “relentless,” claimed the life of 55-year-old Tony Nader, an optician who had at one time been in a relationship with Cormier’s mother.

The court previously heard how Nader was assisting a customer on Dec. 30, 2021, at a Brunswick Street optometry office when Cormier walked in and began stabbing him.

“Something that nobody could have anticipated, could have seen coming. And it really had a profound impact on everyone, ” said Nova Scotia Crown attorney, Scott Morrison.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Nader’s former co-worker, Victoria Peterson, recounted the attack in her victim impact statement.

She wrote that even now, the sound of sirens still gives her chills as she remembers that morning when she stood between Nader and the front door, waiting for help to arrive.

Nader later died in hospital.

View image in full screen

She wrote that Nader will always be remembered as “that rare type of person who brought warmth to everyone he encountered.”

“I can’t imagine someone less deserving of what happened to him,” she added.

The court heard how Nader was a proud husband and father of two, who was described by friends as kind, compassionate and witty.

He was also a lifelong musician and had worked at Insight Optometry for 25 years.

“I think Mr. Cormier offered a few different justifications for what he did that day, what was motivating him,” said Morrison.

“But in terms of what the bottom-line motivation was for Mr. Cormier — I think that will be almost impossible to ever prove.”