A Nova Scotia man has been charged with first-degree murder following a fatal house fire in the southwest region of the province last month.
In a release, the RCMP said officers from the Yarmouth detachment responded to a house fire on Melbourne Road in Pinkneys Point on March 17 shortly after 2 a.m.
“When RCMP officers arrived at the scene, the home was fully engulfed in flames. After the fire was extinguished, human remains were located inside the home,” the release said.
The victim has been identified as 43-year-old Joseph Wickens. According to his obituary, Wickens hailed from Clam Point and “spent his life immersed on the water and in the woods.” He also enjoyed spending time with his family and friends.
The RCMP release said the Southwest Nova Major Crime Unit took over the investigation and spent six weeks gathering evidence, with assistance from forensic identification services, Yarmouth Rural RCMP, St. Thomas University’s anthropology department, the Nova Scotia medical examiner’s office and the fire marshal’s office.
The major crime unit arrested a man in Yarmouth on Thursday and he was taken to the local detachment, where he was held in custody.
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Police say 30-year-old Dillon Burton Deveau of North Chegoggin has been charged with first-degree murder. He was remanded into custody and was scheduled to appear in Yarmouth Provincial Court Friday.
Police say the investigation is ongoing.
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