Nova ScotiaA Nova Scotia man accused of killing 18-year-old Dieago Downey in a March 2024 shooting in North Preston has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder.Daniel Romeo Downey is charged with 1st-degree murder, attempted murder in March 2024 shootingPreston Mulligan · CBC News · Posted: Sep 29, 2025 3:02 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours agoDaniel Romeo Downey, 27, appeared virtually in Nova Scotia Supreme Court on Monday. (Robert Short/CBC)A Nova Scotia man accused of killing 18-year-old Dieago Downey in a March 2024 shooting in North Preston has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and attempted murder.Daniel Romeo Downey, 27, entered the pleas during a virtual appearance Monday in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax. The Crown also agreed to the accused’s request to be tried by judge alone.Police responded to a report of a shooting on Downey Road in North Preston on March 14, 2024. The victim, Dieago Downey, was found wounded at the scene and died later in hospital.An RCMP spokesperson said another man who was at the scene when the shooting occurred was the intended target but was not harmed.Daniel Downey, who was charged three months after the shooting, was released from prison in November 2022 after serving most of a 50-month sentence for charges that included kidnapping, unlawful confinement and accessory after the fact to murder.Those charges were connected to the murder of Tylor McInnis, whose body was found in the trunk of a car in North Preston in August 2016. Daniel Downey’s brother, Shawntez Nico Downey, was convicted of second-degree murder in McInnis’s death.Daniel Downey’s trial is expected to begin in April 2026.ABOUT THE AUTHORPreston Mulligan has been a reporter in the Maritimes for more than 20 years. Along with his reporting gig, he also hosts CBC Radio’s Sunday phone-in show, Maritime Connection.
Man accused in 2024 killing in North Preston pleads not guilty
