A man linked to a string of shootings in the metro area over the past couple of years appeared in court on a charge of second-degree murder this morning.
Twenty-four-year-old Robert Belbin is accused of killing 22-year-old Seamus Secord in the area of Mayor Avenue in February of 2023.
Police responded to reports of a man with serious injuries between Newtown Road and Empire Avenue. He was rushed to hospital but later died of his injuries.
Ten days later, Belbin was arrested and charged with murder, although police have not said how the victim died or if a weapon was used.
Today, the preliminary inquiry began into the murder charge, with three days set aside to determine if there’s enough evidence to go to trial.
Evidence presented at the inquiry remains protected by a publication ban.
Belbin was previously arrested, along with two co-accused, in connection with a rash of shootings, as well as an assault on George Street in 2022.
He was recently sentenced to time-served for that assault, but he’s still facing two separate trials early next year related to serious firearms offences.
Belbin remains in custody at HMP.