HALIFAX—A jury has found Nicholas Butcher guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Kristin Johnston, rejecting his claim that he was acting in self-defence when he stabbed the Montreal-born yoga instructor to death. The Crown had argued Butcher deliberately killed Johnston, 32, after realizing their relationship was deteriorating. The jury heard that in the weeks, days and hours leading up to her death, Johnston told friends she wanted to break up with Butcher. “And if that wasn’t enough ... he realized that the investment that he put into the relationship with Kristin Johnston deteriorated in a blink of an eye. Friends testified that Johnston wanted to leave her Halifax life behind, and was “ready for a new chapter” in Tofino, B.C., where her sister lived.

Source: thestar April 28, 2018 14:09 UTC