Hearings begin today in the Fatality Inquiry into the deaths of Lionel Desmond and his family . The inquiry is being held at the District of Guysborough municipal building in Guysborough. The Inquiry’s mandate is to determine the circumstances under which the deaths of Desmond and his family occurred. It will also investigate whether Desmond and his family had access to mental health and domestic violence intervention services and whether he should have been able to buy a rifle. The hearing will begin at 10 this morning.
On January 3rd, 2017; the bodies of Desmond, an Afghanistan war veteran; his wife, their 10-year-old daughter and Desmond’s mother were found in a house in Upper Big Tracadie. It was later determined that Desmond took the lives of his family before he took his own.