Three men charged in connection with May 2021 homicide

Three men have been charged in connection with a homicide that occurred in Yarmouth in May 2021.

Two of the men are in custody and have court dates this month. A third man facing an accessory charge was released following his arrest and also has a February court date. The RCMP announced the charges and arrests on Jan. 25.

The RCMP say James Edmund Spurrell, 33, of Yarmouth, has been charged with second degree murder.

Gordon Jack Hein, 38, of Barrington, has been charged with assault with a weapon.

Herbert Spurrell, 68, of Yarmouth, has been charged with accessory after the fact to discharging a firearm.

An investigation was launched after the Yarmouth town RCMP was called to a home on King Street in Yarmouth at around 11:30 p.m. on the evening of May 24, 2021. Outside of the home a 41-year-old man was found suffering from a gunshot wound, the RCMP had said at the time.

EHS attended but the man succumbed to his injuries and died at the scene. The RCMP determined the man’s death was the result of a homicide. Spurrell’s charge of seconddegree murder that is before the court identifies the victim as Kyle VanDrunen.

At the time of their investigation last May, the RCMP’s focus had turned from King Street to Chester Street, which is located one street over. The street was closed for some time as the RCMP investigated.

“Information was received that the incident may have occurred on Chester Street,” RCMP Cpl. Lisa Croteau had said at the time. The RCMP later confirmed this to be the case.

James Spurrell, who is facing the charge of second-degree murder, was already in custody at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility on other matters at the time of his arrest in relation to this incident. According to the Yarmouth Justice Centre, Spurrell is serving a sentence for convictions of assault, failure to comply with conditions of a court release order, false pretense and uttering threats.

He had a Jan. 25 court appearance in Yarmouth provincial court and was remanded into custody on the charge connected to the 2021 homicide. His next court appearance is set for Feb.

14.

Hein was also already in custody at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility on other matters when he was arrested in relation to the May 2021 homicide. He also had a Jan. 25 court appearance and was remanded in custody on the assault with a weapon charge. His next court appearance is Feb. 2.

Herbert Spurrell was arrested on

Jan. 21 in Yarmouth. He was later released on conditions and will appear in Yarmouth Provincial Court on Feb. 14. His charge before the court reads: “Herbert Spurrell … knowing that James Spurrell had discharged a firearm in a place knowing that another person was in that place, Herbert Spurrell did receive, comfort and/or assist James Spurrell and did thereby commit the offence of being an accessory after the fact to discharging a firearm.”

The investigation into this matter continues to be led by the Southwest Nova RCMP Major Crime Unit with assistance from the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner’s Office, RCMP Forensic Identification Section, Yarmouth RCMP General Investigation Section and the Yarmouth Town RCMP.

While the investigating is continuing, RCMP Cpl. Chris Marshall said on Jan. 26, "We do not anticipate anymore arrests or charges at the time."