A Halifax Regional Police car is parked outside Halifax Provincial Court on April 8, 2024. (Jacob Moore/Acadia Broadcasting)

Halifax Regional Police have upgraded charges to second-degree murder against a man involved in a fatal assault at the East Coast Forensic Hospital in Dartmouth.

On May 9, 2024, police were called to the hospital following a report of an assault between two patients. A 69-year-old man suffered serious injuries and was transported to the hospital for treatment.

The next day, the accused was charged with aggravated assault and remanded to the East Coast Forensic Hospital.

The victim, identified as Allen Nickerson, succumbed to his injuries on July 6, 2024.

Following an investigation, the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service determined Nickerson’s death was a homicide. Consequently, police have upgraded the charges against the accused to second-degree murder.

The accused is scheduled to appear in Dartmouth provincial court on January 16, 2025.