Two people have been charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery in relation to the death of Andrew Carter Morris in 2021 on Eskasoni First Nation.
RCMP first responded to a sudden death in the community on Aug. 9, 2021, just before 6 a.m., on Beach Road.
On scene, police found the body of a 30-year-old Eskasoni man, whose death was later ruled a homicide.
“Over the last 18 months, the Northeast Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit, with assistance from the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner’s Office, RCMP Forensic Identification Services and the Eskasoni RCMP, have collected evidence and released public pleas for information,” RCMP said in a release Thursday.
RCMP said that on Wednesday, police went to a home on 74th Street in Eskasoni and arrested a woman. A man was also arrested some four hours later.
During the arrests, RCMP said the home on 74th Street caught fire. Two separate investigations into that fire are now ongoing by Eskasoni RCMP, as well as the Nova Scotia Fire Marshal’s Office.
Kurt Daniel Gould, 33, and Scentina Marie Michael, 34, both of Eskasoni First Nation have been charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery. Both have been remanded into custody.
“It is our hope that with the charges that have been laid today, that Carter’s family, and the entire community of Eskasoni, feel some sense of closure,” said Insp. Murray Marcichiw, Officer in Charge of Major Crime and Behavioural Sciences Group, in the release.
“We would also like to thank Carter’s family and friends for their tremendous support of the investigation and community members who came forward to provide crucial information and evidence”
Michael is scheduled to appear in Sydney Provincial Court on Feb. 27, while Gould will appear on March 16.
RCMP noted the case has led to grief within the community and that the announcement of charges could be difficult for some.
Police listed the following supports available:
- Eskasoni Mental Health – 902-379-2099
- Mi’kmaq Legal Support Network (MLSN) Victim Services – 902-379-2042;
- The Hope for Wellness Line – both telephone and chat services – 1-855-242-3310