Man accused of murder in Cole Harbour hit and run previously charged with assaulting victim

A 33-year-old man accused of murdering a woman during a hit and run this week in Cole Harbour, N.S., allegedly tried to use a vehicle to assault the same victim in another incident earlier this year and was also later charged with choking her.

Aaron Daniel Crawley was out on bail, according to court records, after a judge granted his release on house arrest in June. A Crown prosecutor had opposed his release after Crawley was accused of assaulting the woman in two separate incidents.

Crawley is now charged with first-degree murder and multiple counts of failing to comply with release conditions. CBC has learned the victim was Hollie Marie Boland, 30, of Dartmouth.

RCMP Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay said officers were called to Shrewsbury Road shortly after 3 p.m. Monday.

"Our officers learned that a Good Samaritan was rendering assistance to a woman that was being held against her will in a Mercedes," Tremblay said.

"The vehicle was located at a nearby residence and occupied by a man known to the victim."

Tremblay said as the Good Samaritan, another woman, intervened, the driver put the car in reverse and the victim fell out.

"At this point, the driver then intentionally struck the victim before fleeing the scene in the vehicle," Tremblay said.

RCMP said the woman who was trying to help was also knocked to the ground. Two off-duty police officers who were at a nearby home rushed over and provided first aid, police said.

Paramedics took both women to hospital, police said, and Boland died as a result of her injuries. 

Tremblay said it will be up to the medical examiner to determine the exact cause of death.

Police described the Good Samaritan's injuries as non-life-threatening.

Previous charges

Crawley was due to appear in Dartmouth provincial court on Tuesday afternoon, but it was rescheduled for Wednesday. He is also scheduled to appear in court in the new year to face his previous charges.

Police did not describe the relationship, but said the accused and victim knew each other.

Brian Cox, the president of the Nova Scotia Crown Attorneys' Association, said given Crawley's release in June, there will likely be questions in the coming weeks about the bail system and domestic violence.

"This is a terrible tragedy," he said in an interview. "For every Crown attorney who ever handles a case of domestic violence, this is a worst-case scenario."

Court documents show that Crawley was accused of uttering threats and assaulting Boland with a motor vehicle in an incident on May 24.

He was ordered not to have any contact with her, but was also charged with two counts of assault and choking, suffocating or strangling Boland on June 8. 

Following those incidents, a Crown prosecutor sought to have Crawley's bail revoked. Judge Brad Sarson agreed to revoke bail, but decided to release Crawley on stricter conditions, including house arrest and $6,200 put up by him and a surety.

His conditions also included that he not contact five people, including Boland, not possess weapons and not sit in the driver's seat of a motor vehicle.

Emergency alert

His home address, according to court documents, was on Shrewsbury Road. 

Crawley has previous convictions including for assault, resisting a peace officer and theft.  

RCMP sent out an emergency alert around 5:30 p.m. on Monday advising people they were searching for Crawley in relation to a hit and run. The alert described him as "dangerous" and warned people not to approach him.

Officers arrested Crawley after finding him on foot near Highway 7 and Lake Major Road, according to a press release sent Tuesday.