Beaver Bank man committed to stand trial for second-degree murder
Evan Lloyd Wheadon, 21, has been ordered to stand trial in Nova Scotia Supreme Court for the second-degree murder of Daniel Publicover following a preliminary inquiry in Dartmouth. He is accused of killing Publicover during an altercation outside a Beaver Bank residence on Dec. 12, 2025.
A 21-year-old Beaver Bank man has been committed to stand trial in Nova Scotia Supreme Court on a charge of second-degree murder following a preliminary inquiry held Thursday in Dartmouth provincial court.
Evan Lloyd Wheadon is accused of killing 27-year-old Daniel Publicover during an altercation outside a residence in Beaver Bank in December 2025. Judge Jill Hartlen directed Wheadon to appear in Supreme Court in Halifax on Nov. 5 to begin setting dates for a jury trial.
During the preliminary inquiry, Crown attorneys Katie Lovett and Bryson McDonald called evidence at the request of defence lawyers Trevor McGuigan and Anna Mancini. A publication ban is in place on the evidence presented at the inquiry to preserve Wheadon’s right to a fair trial.
RCMP and paramedics responded at about 8 p.m. on Dec. 12, 2025, to a report of an assault at a home in the 2400 block of Beaver Bank Road. The victim was found with life-threatening injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers arrested a suspect nearby shortly after the response. RCMP stated that Publicover and Wheadon knew each other, indicating it was not a random incident.
Wheadon has not applied for bail. Judge Hartlen ordered him to have no contact with one witness and two members of Publicover’s family, while allowing communication with one witness only via a designated cellphone number.
At the time of the homicide, Wheadon was on parole. In November 2023, he received a 26-month prison sentence for nine offences, including two counts of robbery from July and September 2023. His parole was revoked after he was charged with the homicide, and he was returned to a federal penitentiary. In April of this year, Wheadon was also sentenced to 60 days in custody on charges of assault and theft under $5,000 related to an incident in May 2025.