Halifax teen’s preliminary inquiry on murder charge set for December
A preliminary inquiry will be held in December for a Halifax teenager accused of murder.
Keishawn Elton Jerius Pride Stephenson, 19, is charged with second-degree murder in the April 2022 shooting death of Simon Morrison in Halifax.
Stephenson was apprehended in Markham, Ont., on March 8, two days after a Canada-wide warrant was issued for his arrest. He first appeared in Halifax provincial court in mid-March.
The case was delayed after Stephenson’s original lawyers were allowed to withdraw because of a conflict of interest.
A date for a preliminary inquiry was set Thursday, when the young man appeared in court with his new lawyer, Eugene Tan.
Judge Ann Marie Simmons booked the hearing for Dec. 15. The judge was advised that the defence is conceding there is enough evidence for Stephenson to be committed to stand trial but wants to hear testimony at the inquiry from two Crown witnesses.
If Stephenson wishes to get bail, he must make an application in Nova Scotia Supreme Court. In the meantime, he has been ordered to have no contact with six potential witnesses.
Halifax Regional Police responded to a shooting in the 2400 block of Brunswick Street, near Uniacke Street, on April 16, 2022, at about 1:40 a.m. Morrison, 18, was dead when officers arrived.
When police announced Stephenson’s arrest, they said the shooting was not a random incident and they were not looking for any other suspects.
