Nova Scotia

Man accused of killing Cassidy Bernard set for trial by judge and jury

Dwight Austin Isadore is charged with second-degree murder in Bernard's death. He has not entered a plea yet, but will face a trial by judge and jury. He is scheduled to appear at Supreme Court in Port Hawkesbury, N.S., on Nov. 13, 2020.

Dwight Austin Isadore is the father of Bernard's twin girls and will appear in court in November

Austin Isadore is the father of Cassidy Bernard's twin daughters. He stands accused of murdering her. (Austin Isadore/Facebook)

A man from Nova Scotia's Wagmatcook First Nation will stand trial on charges of killing the mother of his twin daughters.

Dwight Austin Isadore, 21, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of 22-year-old Cassidy Bernard.

Her mother found her dead in her home in Waycobah in October 2018. Police have not said how she died. The infant girls were found inside the home at the same time Bernard's body was discovered. They were dehydrated, but not harmed. Bernard's mother is now raising the twins, with the help of the community. 

Isadore will face a trial by judge and jury. He's due at the Supreme Court in Port Hawkesbury on Nov. 13 to have a date set for his trial.

Cassidy Bernard was found dead in her home in We'koqma'q First Nation on Oct. 24, 2018. (Facebook)

Wayne MacMillan, Isadore's lawyer, said there is no plea yet, but that it will be done before the Supreme Court when the defendant is arraigned.

Last November, the community offered a $100,000 reward for any information that led to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for Bernard's death.

Friends, family and community members have also staged multiple marches in memory of Bernard, and to raise awareness of her case.

The delay between Bernard's death and the murder charges prompted her community to march in protest. (Robert Short/CBC)