Serena Colson, 26, Halifax NS
Serena Colson was brutally murdered on the night of February 23, 2002.
Serena was the loving mother of three children, ages nine, five and 18 months. She moved from Newfoundland to Halifax to make a better life for her children.
While the Accused was vacationing in Newfoundland, he met Serena, who, subsequently, made a trip to Nova Scotia to visit the Accused.
Eventually, in October 2001, Serena moved with her three children to Nova Scotia, commencing a relationship with the Accused.
Serena rented a three-bedroom apartment in the same building as the Accused, but he came to primarily reside with Serena.
Over the next few months, Serena’s relationship with the Accused grew more strained and volatile. He became obsessed with Serena’s prior boyfriends and became increasingly jealous.
In February 2002 Serena, contemplated leaving the Accused and returning to Newfoundland. His extreme jealousy, fearing that Serena would leave him, caused severe problems in the relationship.
On the morning of February 22, 2002 an argument started because of the Accused’s jealousy. During this argument the Accused briefly choked Serena.
Following the incident, Serena went to work, with her co-workers describing her as being very upset.
Serena intended to have a quiet night at home alone with her children as she was going to ask the Accused to stay at his own apartment.
Some time after 11:00 p.m. that evening, another argument started between Serena and the Accused. The Accused became angry and proceeded to stab Serena with a knife while she was in the living room. At one point, Serena managed to get to the master bedroom, hiding behind a door.
The assault continued when the Accused dragged Serena into the kitchen, then into other places of the apartment to keep her from getting out of the apartment.
Serena’s children were awakened by their mother’s screams. When Serena’s five-year-old son saw the Accused stabbing his mother, he jumped on him, but he was unable to stop him, receiving a cut from the knife being used to stab his mother.
Serena’s nine-year-old daughter and son left the apartment to get help for their mother. Serena’s youngest child was wandering in the hall of the apartment building when police arrived.
The Accused used multiple knives to stab Serena during the vicious attack. In all, six knives were used, many were bent or broken by the force of the attack.
Serena was rushed to the hospital but, was pronounced dead at 12:45a.m. on February 23, 2002.
Autopsy results noted approximately 41 stab wounds, giving rise to internal and external bleeding, collapse of her lungs and bleeding into the major airways resulting in hypoxia and, ultimately, death.
The Accused had previously shown aggressive, jealous behavior in another relationship just months before beginning a relationship with Serena. As well, the Accused had extensive experience in several martial arts disciplines, some of which involved the use of weapons.
The Accused was charged with second-degree murder. He pleaded guilty prior to trial and was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 15 years.