New Minas man charged with second-degree murder

Nikolas Derrick Salsman is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 34-year-old Trevor Allen Joseph Pelton of New Minas.

Salsman, wearing grey sweatpants and a grey T-shirt, appeared with duty counsel Chris Manning to be arraigned on the charge.

Manning asked that the matter be set over to Oct. 18, when a date for a preliminary inquiry could be set.

Salsman was walking with a limp when he was led into court. Sources say he suffered stab wounds to his leg, but Manning said he couldn't comment on any possible injuries.

RCMP arrested Salsman on Sunday sometime after Pelton's body was found in the yard of his parents' home on Lockhart Drive in New Minas.

Police were called there just before 9:30 a.m., and an ambulance arrived not long after that. Investigators spent the day at the property.

Neighbours told The Chronicle Herald on Sunday that they heard loud voices in the front yard of the home at 77 Lockhart Dr. shortly before RCMP arrived.

RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Jennifer Clarke said Pelton was deceased when police arrived. She had no information on injuries to Salsman, but said as far as she knew, the province's Serious Incident Response Team isn't involved in the case.

The team is called in when a person is injured during interactions with police.

Clarke said no other charges are pending right now. She wasn't sure if Salsman and Pelton were known to each other.

Salsman lives at the house with his parents and has been in trouble with the law before, neighbours say.

He was arrested in April 2012 after RCMP executed a search warrant in New Minas and seized cocaine, marijuana and hashish with a street value of more than $14,000, a bulletproof vest, brass knuckles and cash.

- Story by Ian Fairclough, The Chronicle Herald