MONCTON, Canada – A man from southeast New Brunswick has elected to forgo a preliminary inquiry in the case of his alleged murdering and dismembering of his spouse. Roger Hilyard Crossman, 62, faces charges of first-degree murder and improperly interfering with his wife’s body. The incident is said to have occurred on October 12, 2023, in Sackville.
During a video appearance in Moncton provincial court, defense lawyer Alison Ménard confirmed that Crossman would be waiving the preliminary inquiry. The purpose of this hearing was to assess the sufficiency of the Crown’s evidence to proceed to trial. Ménard also disclosed that Crossman desired to be tried by a judge and jury specifically for the dismemberment charge, while the murder charge would automatically be a judge and jury trial.
The case will now progress from the provincial court to the Court of King’s Bench. Trial dates will subsequently be set in the higher court. Crossman is expected to appear in court on February 5 while remaining in custody.
Authorities were initially alerted to the incident when they received a request to perform a well-being check at a residence on King Street in Sackville. Upon arrival, officers discovered the lifeless body of Marlene Cheryl Crossman. The RCMP reported that a 62-year-old man later turned himself in to the Antigonish RCMP detachment, approximately 230 kilometers east of Sackville, just over an hour after the well-being check.
The man was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder the following day. Authorities have described first-degree murder as a premeditated act. The dismemberment charge, on the other hand, was laid in November.
With the decision to bypass the preliminary inquiry, the legal proceedings in this case are anticipated to accelerate. The upcoming trial for Roger Hilyard Crossman will shed further light on the circumstances surrounding his spouse’s tragic death and the alleged dismemberment of her body.