Second-degree murder charge laid in latest intimate partner violence case

CITYnews halifax / By The Canadian Press

Police have laid a second-degree murder charge against a 60-year-old man in the death of an 84-year-old man in what’s believed to be Nova Scotia’s latest case of intimate partner violence.

RCMP say the victim died in hospital on April 11 after being assaulted at a home on Highway 3 in Mill Village — a small community about 131 kilometres southwest of Halifax — on March 28.

When officers arrived at the scene at 3:30 a.m., they discovered a man who had injuries “consistent with being stabbed” and learned that another man had left in a vehicle.

Derek Dominix of Mill Village was later arrested and initially faced a charge of attempted murder, which was changed to second-degree murder on Tuesday, after the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide.

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• RCMP committed to addressing rise in intimate partner violence: Chief superintendent
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• ‘Significant gaps’ in health care knowledge in addressing violence against women: Study

In the past six months, police in Nova Scotia have reported a spike in the number of deaths resulting from intimate partner violence.

Since Oct. 18, seven women have been murdered by their intimate partners, and in one of the cases the father of the victim was also killed.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2025.