Accused in Dartmouth homicide applies for bail

A Head of St. Margarets Bay man accused of murdering a man in Dartmouth last month will have a bail hearing in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in January.

Nicholas Roland Rhyno, 33, is charged with seconddegree murder in the killing of Zachery Jordell Charles Grosse, 25, of Dartmouth.

Police responded to a weapons call Oct. 22 at about 6:30 p.m. and discovered Grosse with life-threatening injuries outside an apartment building at 24 Primrose St.

Paramedics took Grosse to the Halifax Infirmary, where he died at about 1 a.m., surrounded by family.

Rhyno has been in custody since Oct. 28. He appeared in Supreme Court on Thursday by video from jail to set dates for a bail hearing.

Justice Denise Boudreau scheduled the bail application to be heard Jan. 13 and 14.

Defence lawyer Patrick Macewen, who participated in Thursday’s proceeding by phone, said he is awaiting disclosure of the evidence by the Crown.

“We don’t have anywhere near full disclosure at this point in time,” Macewen said.

Rhyno is due back in Dartmouth provincial court Dec. 2, possibly to set dates for a preliminary inquiry. He’s subject to a court order to have no contact with two potential Crown witnesses.

Rhyno has more than 20 convictions on his criminal record since 2005, including five for firearms offences, four for assault and three for drug offences.

In June 2012, regional police announced they were looking for Rhyno after he failed to return to a halfway house he was residing at while on parole. He turned himself in and was convicted of being unlawfully at large.