Texas murder suspect arrested in Halifax returns for hearing today

MONTREAL — A U.S. murder suspect arrested in Halifax just before the new year had been living in a tent with his dog, according to documents filed with the Immigration and Refugee Board.

Derek Cameron Whisenand is scheduled to return before the board today.

Among the exhibits filed in his case was a police report that said Whisenand was living in a tent in the woods near the busy shopping district in Halifax where he was arrested.

Whisenand has been detained since his Dec. 30 arrest, which came after police were called about a shoplifter at a Walmart store in the city’s Bayer’s Lake area. 

He was arrested after a foot chase and allegedly gave a false name to authorities.

According to a report by Halifax regional police, Whisenand only stopped after a constable threatened to use her Taser on him.

The report said the fugitive was wearing brand-new beige work boots that still had the price tags on them.

He was evasive with Halifax officers and gave a false name — Christian Bates — before the officer found a tattered U.S. social security card with his real name on it, without a birth date.

After giving police his birthday, he pleaded with them to let him go on a promise to appear so he could fetch his dog at the campsite.

Police confirmed they found a tent, clothing, dishes and dog food in a wooded area not far from the shopping area. The dog was seized by animal control officers.

Whisenand was subsequently turned over to the Canada Border Services Agency and has a third detention review and admissibility hearing scheduled for Friday.

He has remained detained since his arrest, deemed a flight risk and a danger to the Canadian public.

The 28-year-old is a suspect in the June 2019 death of a 78-year-old man in Eastland County, Texas, about 170 kilometres southwest of the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

In July, RCMP warned that he had illegally crossed into Canada near Haskett, Man., sometime during the week of June 24.

Authorities in North Dakota said Whisenand’s vehicle was found about three kilometres from the Canadian border.

He was believed to have gotten a ride to Winnipeg and the headed towards Atlantic Canada.

He has been detained at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility since his arrest and his case has been heard by decision-makers in Montreal.

Whisenand didn’t participate in the first hearing and wasn’t represented by a lawyer at the second one on Jan. 8.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 24, 2020.

The Canadian Press