ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — A 26-year-old man is facing second-degree murder charges in connection with a death in Renews Thursday night.
Brandon Noftall, who lives in the small Southern Shore town, was taken into custody by the RCMP and made a quick appearance before a judge in provincial court in St. John’s Friday. He’s being held in jail until his next court date, on Wednesday.
Noftall is suspected of killing a 41-year-old man who also lived in Renews, police say. It’s not known how he died, but residents told The Telegram it’s believed he was stabbed.
Several RCMP cars were parked outside a house in Renews for much of the day, they said. Yellow police tape surrounded it, wrapped around telephone poles on the property.
Meanwhile, 40 kilometres away, police had a 500-metre section of Route 10 — south of La Manche and north of Cape Broyle — closed for several hours.
Officers seemed to be focused on a pickup truck, parked in the middle of the road with its emergency lights flashing.
Initial reports at the scene indicated there was at least one deceased person in the truck, but that wasn’t confirmed. It’s not known how that incident is linked to the one in Renews.
The murder investigation is being led by the RCMP major crime unit, with help from the RCMP's Ferryland detachment, the forensic identification section and police dog services. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is also involved.
The incident shook residents of the town, which has a population of about 300.
However, a woman who lives in the area, who didn’t want to be named, said the victim was not originally from there.
She said the rental house where the incident was said to have happened was occupied by a family who had moved in Wednesday from another part of the province.
“It’s all everyone is talking about here,” she said. “It’s such a small, close community, everyone knows everyone, and for something so tragic to happen practically on our doorsteps is scary and heartbreaking, especially at this time of year so close to Christmas.”
The RCMP said residents can expect to see a police presence in the community in the days to come as the investigation continues.
Another woman in the community told The Telegram, “It makes you wonder what this province is coming to.”
