Man accused of 2013 homicide makes first court appearance
A man charged for the murder of Matthew Sudds made his first appearance in court Tuesday morning.
Ricardo Jerrel Whynder was brought into Halifax provincial court in cuffs for his first appearance related to the 2013 homicide, and a later date was set for him to return with his lawyer.
Whynder was arrested last Friday in Surrey, B.C. after a four-year investigation into the death of 24-year-old Sudds.
“Sometimes these things take a long time and evidence comes up over the years. That is exactly what happened here,” Crown attorney Rick Woodburn said outside court.
“After a lengthy investigation, police did a good job finally putting the case together and presenting it to the Crown to move forward with the charges.”
Woodburn was not able to comment on the specifics of the case, or evidence the Crown had, but did note in cases like this, it is quality over quantity.
“A first-degree murder charge has less to do with the amount of evidence, it’s the type of evidence,” said Woodburn.
“It has to do with whether or not there is some planning and deliberation involved in the actual murder. Sometimes a second-degree murder is more from the heat of the moment or passion, where as first-degree has more planning, deliberation.”
Defence lawyer Ian Hutchison declined to comment on the case.
Whynder’s next appearance is scheduled for March 24.