Son charged with murder in mother's death at Halifax home sent for assessment

A 26-year-old man charged with murder after his mother was found dead Tuesday morning behind a central Halifax home has been ordered by a judge to undergo a psychiatric assessment.

The body of Linda Lamontagne, 65, was foundin the backyard of the house on Willow Street, police said Wednesday.Her son, Ryan Richard Lamontagne, was arrested andcharged with second-degree murder and indignity to human remains.

According to court documents, he attempted to bury his mother's body in the backyard. The records also say he lived in a unit of the house, which is owned by Halifax Peninsula Housing Co-operative Ltd.

He appeared in Halifax provincial court Wednesday morning, and appeared to have cuts on his face. He was remanded to the East Coast Forensic Hospital for a psychiatric assessment to determine if he is fit to stand trial.

He is due to appear in court again next Tuesday.

Officers were called to the home, which isnear the corner of Dublin Street, around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Police spokesperson Const. John MacLeod said Wednesday that Linda Lamontagnehad "very recently" died, although he did not have a time of death.

Investigators on scene

Forensic investigators in white suits combedthe area Tuesday morning and police taped offa large areaaround the scene.The body was removed around 11 a.m. Investigators were still on the scene Wednesday morning.

"It's certainly not uncommonfor us to spend several days on the scene of a homicide," said MacLeod.

MacLeod said the home has several apartments but couldn't say whether anyone else was home at the time.

After anautopsy, the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service ruled thedeath a homicide.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact them.

Other deaths on Willow Street

In 2008, in an unrelated incident, a mother and son were found dead in the house next door to Tuesday's crime scenein what police said was a murder-suicide.

The bodies of Roberta Jollimore, 75, and GregoryJollimore, 52, were discovered after hiswork reported he had been missing work for about a week.

Roberta Jollimore, whosuffered from Parkinson's disease,was foundlyingon the basement floor, herhead was resting on a Bible anda shrine of stuffed animalssurrounded her.

The home was subsequently sold to a different family.