Second-degree murder charge to proceed against Mohamed Issak

Murder Charge to Proceed Against Not Criminally Responsible Man

A murder charge will proceed in the Nova Scotia courts against Mohamed Issak, a man who has been found not criminally responsible for previous acts of violence.

Issak, 32, was charged with second-degree murder in December following an assault at the East Coast Forensic Hospital, Nova Scotia’s only secure psychiatric facility, last May.

Both Issak and the victim of the assault, Allen Nickerson, were patients at the hospital. Nickerson had been admitted after being found not criminally responsible in the killing of his mother, Margaret Nickerson, in 1994.

Issak became a patient after being found not criminally responsible on charges of assault with a weapon and breach of probation from an incident in 2016.

Initially charged with aggravated assault for the incident involving Nickerson, the charge was upgraded to murder when the older man died of his injuries, and the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.

The Crown has preferred an indictment, eliminating the need for a preliminary inquiry.

The case was discussed in two courtrooms this week. In Nova Scotia Supreme Court on Thursday, lawyers agreed to meet with a judge in May to further discuss the case.

The matter will then return to open court on May 22 for the next steps in the legal process.

In addition to the murder charge, Issak is also facing a charge of assaulting a peace officer, which will be addressed in Dartmouth provincial court on April 17.

Issak remains in custody while awaiting further legal proceedings.