Halifax crime figure Jimmy Melvin Jr. declared a dangerous offender

Notorious Halifax crime figure Jimmy Melvin Jr. has been declared a dangerous offender, meaning he will be locked up indefinitely.

Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Peter Rosinski handed down his decision Monday morning after months of delays caused by the pandemic and by Melvin's decision to fire a succession of lawyers along the way. 

Melvin, who has been held in various jails and prisons while he awaited sentencing, was convicted in October 2017 of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder for an attack on Terry Marriott Jr. in 2008.

Marriott survived the plot against him, but he was killed a few months later. Melvin, 38, was charged with Marriott's murder, but was acquitted.

The dangerous offender designation is not just for the attempted murder conviction; it also reflects a pattern of violent behaviour spanning more than two decades and culminating with an assault at the Renous maximum security prison in New Brunswick in September.

That assault prompted Melvin's transfer to a super-maximum security prison north of Montreal.

Nova Scotia prosecutors reopened their arguments on their dangerous offender application in November to provide Rosinski with details of the New Brunswick assault.

In their sentencing arguments, the Crown laid out Melvin's history of violence. At one point, gangs led by members of the Melvin and Marriott families battled for control of the Halifax drug trade.

Rosinski did not read his full decision on Monday; he just made the declaration of dangerous offender and approved a number of ancillary orders, including that Melvin's DNA be put in a national database and that he be banned from owning or possessing weapons for the rest of his life.

Melvin's also banned from having any contact with witnesses and victims, including Joshua Preeper, the man he's accused of assaulting at Renous in September.

While Melvin has made most of his previous court appearances via video from various prisons and jails, he was brought to court for the sentencing. The judge took about three minutes to read his bottom-line decision, then closed the court.

"Is that it?" Melvin asked.

'His risk is high'

Outside court his latest lawyer, Ray Kuszelewski, described it as "a very dark day indeed."

Rick Woodburn was one of three Crown prosecutors who argued for the dangerous offender designation.

"His risk is high and remains high until he receives the counselling and everything else that he needs in order to lower that risk, his risk to the public and to correctional officers," Woodburn said outside court.

If things follow the usual pattern, the Parole Board of Canada will review Melvin's case in about seven years, to see whether he has made any progress on curbing his violent tendencies. If he hasn't, his case will be subject to regular reviews every two years after that.