Four charged in homicide appear in court
Four people charged in the 2022 killing of Barry Albert, a Bridgewater man whose remains were found in Springfield, Annapolis County, almost two months after he went missing, made brief court appearances Wednesday.
Derrick Wayne Charles Robar, 32, of no fixed address, but formerly of Springfield; Kristopher Michael Buttar, 44, of Dartmouth; and Alan Stephen Rankin, 43, of Amherst are all charged with first-degree murder.
William Jordan Harris Zinck, 25, of Conquerall Mills, Lunenburg County, is accused of being an accessory after the fact to murder.
RCMP announced the charges Tuesday, saying the four men were arrested Sunday and Monday with the assistance of Halifax Regional Police.
The three men charged with murder appeared in Annapolis Royal provincial court together Wednesday.
Duty lawyer Darren Macleod spoke on their behalf and said they need time to retain counsel.
Judge Chris Manning scheduled the trio’s next appearance for May 14 and told them that if they want bail, they will have to make an application in Nova Scotia Supreme Court.
Zinck was brought to the courthouse later in the morning, after the other accused were no longer in the building.
The duty lawyer also appeared with Zinck, who will try to obtain counsel before his case returns to court May 16. Like the other individuals, he must apply for bail in Supreme Court.
At the request of Crown attorney Rick Hartlen, the judge ordered all four men to have no contact with one another or with 16 potential Crown witnesses.
Albert, a 47-year-old father of three grown sons, was also known as Barry Mosher. He was last seen alive in Bridgewater on Aug. 21, 2022, and was reported missing to Lunenburg RCMP a week later.
He had been living in a tent behind Eisnor Park, a collection of mobile homes in Bridgewater.
RCMP discovered Albert’s body near an abandoned ball diamond on Hastings Road in Springfield on Oct. 8, 2022. His death was determined to have been a homicide.
Tuesday’s RCMP news release said Albert was murdered in Springfield in August 2022. Police have not revealed how he was killed.