Cole Harbour man charged with murdering ex makes court appearance

DARTMOUTH, N.S. — A Cole Harbour man accused of murdering his estranged domestic partner this week while he was on bail on earlier charges of assaulting her made a brief appearance in Dartmouth provincial court Wednesday.

Aaron Daniel Crawley, 33, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Hollie Boland, who allegedly was intentionally struck by a Mercedes he was driving Monday afternoon near his residence on Shrewsbury Road.

Crawley also faces a charge of assault with a weapon involving a neighbour who came to Boland’s aid and was also knocked to the ground by the vehicle, and four counts of breaching conditions of a June bail order.

Specifically, police allege Crawley breached bail by having contact with Boland, by occupying the driver’s seat of a motor vehicle, by being in a vehicle without the registered owner present, and by failing to comply with his house arrest.

Crawley appeared in court Wednesday via a video link from the Dartmouth jail.

Defence duty lawyer Alex Baranowski asked that the case be adjourned for at least three weeks to give Crawley time to apply for legal aid.

Crown attorney Eric Taylor said he is awaiting the disclosure of evidence from the police.

“Mr. Crawley probably will need to see that before we’re in a position to set dates for a preliminary inquiry,” the prosecutor told the court.

Judge Jill Hartlen scheduled the matter to return to court Nov. 29.

If Crawley wants bail on the murder charge, he will have to make an application in Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

At the request of the Crown, the judge ordered Crawley to have no contact with 15 people who are potential witnesses in the murder case or in relation to earlier incidents that happened in Dartmouth and East Preston.

“I don’t even know half them people,” Crawley said.

Before the proceeding ended, Crawley asked if he could say something.

“I’d encourage you not to say anything,” Baranowski advised Crawley.

“OK, I know,” Crawley responded. “I’ll listen to you.”

He then blurted out, “I do plan on co-operating though, with everything.”

According to court records, Crawley was arrested May 24 on charges of using a vehicle to assault Boland, uttering threats to her and dangerous driving. He was released that day on an undertaking to police.

On June 9, Crawley was charged with committing 12 offences in Dartmouth or East Preston the previous day. He was charged with assaulting and trying to choke Boland and one of her friends in Dartmouth, setting fire to an occupied residence in East Preston, using a motor vehicle to assault another woman, property mischief, dangerous driving, and four counts of breaching his undertaking.

The Crown then applied to revoke Crawley’s undertaking and opposed his release on all the charges. Following a hearing in Dartmouth provincial court, Judge Brad Sarson ruled June 14 that Crawley could be released on a $6,200 bail order with his father as surety and a long list of conditions.

Crawley and his father lived at an address in Lower Sackville for just over a week and then received permission to move to a house on Shrewsbury Road.

Mother of three

Boland, a 30-year-old mother of three who lived in Dartmouth, was struck by the vehicle at the intersection of Shrewsbury Road and Covey Court shortly before 3:30 p.m. Monday.

Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay said a Good Samaritan noticed the victim was in distress and being held against her will in a vehicle at a nearby home and tried to get her out of the car.

“The Good Samaritan was knocked to the ground when she was trying to the pull the woman out of the vehicle and the driver put the vehicle in reverse,” Tremblay said. “The Good Samaritan fell to the ground along with the victim.”

Police allege that the man in the car then deliberately drove into Boland before speeding away.

Boland was rushed to hospital by paramedics but did not survive her injuries. The Good Samaritan was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Emergency alert

RCMP issued an emergency alert Monday at about 5:38 p.m. asking the public to be on the lookout for Crawley and the dark grey Mercedes C300 he was believed to be driving.

Someone who received the alert saw Crawley and reported his location to police. He was apprehended on foot near the intersection of Highway 7 and Lake Major Road in Westphal shortly after 6 p.m.

Outside court Wednesday, Taylor said the Crown was concerned in June that Crawley was too much of a risk to be released.

“We go based upon what we see and our concerns, and we put those concerns to the court,” he told reporters. “Individuals have a right to reasonable bail, and the court needs to consider bail in every situation, no matter how serious the charges and how strong the evidence (is).

“The judge in that case felt that the risk could be alleviated by harsh conditions of house arrest, which he imposed.”