Man re-charged in connection with 2017 South Rawdon murder

CITYnews halifax / By Mark Hodgins

The RCMP has charged a man for a second time in connection to the killing of a woman in South Rawdon eight years ago.

According to police, officers responded to the home of Laura Ross on Highway 202 in April 2017. They say the body of the 27-year-old was found in a burned-out garage on her property, and her death was ruled a homicide.

Later that year, the RCMP charged then 27-year-old Joshua Eric Crowell with second-degree murder, but the charge was withdrawn by the Crown in 2019. At the time, the Crown said there wasn’t a realistic prospect of conviction.

In a media release on Thursday, police announced new evidence allowed them to re-charge Crowell with second-degree murder.

“Over the course of this exhaustive investigation, officers collected and analyzed a substantial amount of evidence and spoke with many witnesses who shared critical information,” says now-retired Cpl. Angela McKay. “We never waivered in our commitment to Ms. Ross and her loved ones despite setbacks at various times in the investigation, and new evidence has enabled us to now re-charge Crowell.”

Police say Crowell was expected to appear in court on Thursday.