Preliminary inquiry set for Liverpool man accused of murdering aunt
A Liverpool man accused of murdering his aunt on the South Shore and then driving to RCMP provincial headquarters in Dartmouth to turn himself in will have a preliminary inquiry in Bridgewater provincial court next fall.
Jeffrey Allen Ohrt, 50, is charged with first-degree murder in the killing of 62-year-old Roseanne Williams, who was discovered dead at a home in Labelle, Queens County, on May 31.
RCMP announced the charge June 2, saying a man had shown up at the RCMP head office in Dartmouth on May 31 claiming he had killed a woman.
The man was arrested and Queens County RCMP were contacted. Officers then found the woman’s body at the residence in Labelle, about 40 kilometres north of Liverpool.
According to court documents, police allege the murder was committed earlier that day.
Ohrt appeared in court last week with lawyers Nick Fitch and David Hirtle to schedule a preliminary inquiry.
Judge Catherine Benton booked the hearing for nine days between Oct. 7 and Nov. 1, 2024.
A preliminary inquiry determines if there is sufficient evidence to send an accused on to trial in Nova Scotia Supreme Court. It’s also an opportunity for the defence to assess the strength of the Crown’s case.
Ohrt remains in custody. If he wants bail, he will have to make an application in Supreme Court.
When RCMP announced the charge, they said they believed the homicide was a “targeted incident.”
An RCMP spokesman said it was unclear why the man drove all the way to Dartmouth to report the killing.
The cause of death has not been revealed by police.
Message to prime minister
In May, Ohrt launched a GoFundMe page seeking to raise $25,000 to pay for his end-of-life expenses. The page contains a message to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
In the message, Ohrt said he lived abroad for more than two decades and was lured back to Canada in 2017 by his “childhood rapist” and subjected to torture, sexual abuse, mutilation and de-transitioning.
Ohrt said he experienced seizures and mini-strokes that were inflicted upon him by various people, including the RCMP, between 2017 and 2022.
“There are pieces of that last stroke still in my head and leg and I am tired of being carved up like a Christmas ham,” he wrote.
“I wish to travel to Ottawa to testify before my government and answer any questions you have before being granted a medically assisted death.”
