Police charge man, 32, with murder in Cole Harbour hit and run

RCMP in Nova Scotia say a case that started as a hit and run Monday afternoon in Cole Harbour, N.S., is now a homicide investigation.

They have charged Aaron Daniel Crawley, 32, with first-degree murder, assault with a weapon and multiple charges of failing to comply with release conditions.

RCMP Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay said officers were called to Shrewsbury Road in Cole Harbour shortly after 3 p.m. on Monday.

“Our officers learned that a Good Samaritan was rendering assistance to a woman that was being held against her will in a Mercedes,” Tremblay said.

“The vehicle was located at a nearby residence and occupied by a man known to the victim.”

Tremblay said as the Good Samaritan intervened, the driver put the car in reverse and the woman fell out.

“At this point, the driver then intentionally struck the victim before fleeing the scene in the vehicle,” Tremblay said.

He said it will be up to the medical examiner to determine the exact cause of death.

Crawley is due to appear in Nova Scotia provincial court on Tuesday afternoon on charges related to the incident.

He is also scheduled to appear in court in the new year to face a series of unrelated charges. They include: uttering death threats, two counts of assault with a weapon, four counts of failing to comply with conditions, assault and committing assault by choking, suffocating or strangling someone.

Crawley has previous convictions including for assault, resisting a peace officer and theft.