Posted:
(2:50 p.m.) Halifax Regional Police (HRP) Chief Jean-Michel Blais is commenting on the guilty verdict against Chaze Lamar Thompson in the homicide trial of Sergei Kostin. Chief Blais issues the following statement:
“This is an example of what can be done when credible witnesses come forward and cooperate with a police investigation. It is our role to be professionally disinterested in the outcome of a trial but the reality is that we are very interested in the presentation of evidence before the court and the jury’s decision based on that evidence. In this particular case, the excellent work carried out by the investigators of the HRP/RCMP Integrated Major Crime Unit allowed the crown prosecutors to present a case based on cogent and coherent evidence, thereby allowing the jury to arrive at their unanimous conclusion. It is my most ardent hope that the verdict will bring some sense of closure to the victim’s two children and wife who live in the Ukraine. The distance, coupled with the strangeness of our judicial and police approaches, must have been very stressful for them. We hope they can find a measure of peace following the decision. This case illustrates the dedication, professionalism and commitment of the men and women of HRM Partners in Policing to investigative excellence and ensuring that those responsible for acts of violence in our community are brought to justice.”