N.S. family says they're stuck in home where they lost loved ones in 2017 murder-suicide

WARNING: This story contains details of suicide/violence.

The familyof the wife of military veteran Lionel Desmond is calling on the federal or Nova Scotia governments to relieve them of the home where the horrific murder-suicide took place.

Desmond killed his wife Shanna, his daughter Aaliyah and his mother Brenda in afamily home in Guysborough County in January2017. Desmond, who suffered from acute PTSD and had been struggling to get treatment, then turned the gun on himself.

Last month, the judge presiding over a fatality inquiry into the tragedy released his final report. It contained 25 recommendations that focused on trying to prevent circumstances like the ones that led to the killings.

What the inquiry didn't address because it was outside its mandate was the family home where the killings took place.

WATCH | Family reacts to Desmond inquiry recommendations on Jan. 31:

Family reacts to Lionel Desmond inquiry recommendations

9 months ago

Duration 4:21

On Jan. 3, 2017, Lionel Desmond shot his 31-year-old wife, Shanna, their 10-year-old daughter, Aaliyah, and his 52-year-old mother, Brenda, before he turned the gun on himself at a home in rural eastern Nova Scotia. Seven years later, an inquiry has released its findings, but relatives say they feel more could be done to help families.

Shanna's mother, Thelma Borden, and her father, Ricky, still livein the home.The Bordenswould like to relocate, but can't afford it. And the stigma surrounding the events of that night would make the house difficult, if not impossible, to sell.

Sheldon Borden,Shanna Desmond's brother, said the solution is "fairly simple."

"The family should be relocated out of that home," Sheldon Borden said, speaking to reporters last month following the release of the inquiry report.

"Not too many people have half a million dollars to just up and leave their house."

Borden added thefatality inquiry failed to address the immediate needs of the family.

Nova ScotiaJustice MinisterBrad Johns said following a cabinet meeting last week that he understands where the families are coming from.

"I certainly sympathize, on a personal level, with Desmond and Borden families," Johns said. "I mean, Corporal Desmond's daughter would have been the same age as my daughter is right now, graduating high school."

But Johns said the province is waiting for the federal government to take the lead on this issue.

Immediately following the release of the fatality inquiry report, Veterans Affairs MinisterGinette Pettipas Taylorsaid she would be reaching out to the families.

Contacted on Feb.8, eight days after the report was released, a spokesperson for Pettipas Taylor's department issued a statement in response to a query from CBC News.

"The Government of Canada supported the inquiry by providing all relevant information," the statement read in part.

It concluded: "Veterans Affairs Canada will closely review the report and its findings and in the following weeks we will have more to say."

A spokesperson for the department said they are unable to say anything more because of privacy concerns.

Rubin (Rocky)Coward is a community activist and a friend of the Borden family. He said there are precedents for dealing with such a situation. He pointed out that following the murders at a McDonald's restaurant in Sydney River, N.S., in 1992, the building was torn down.

Coward also said that following the murders in Portapique, N.S.,in April2020, the province took ownership of the properties owned by the gunman responsible. A government spokesperson said the provincebought the property to ensure no one else would develop it.

If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to get help:

• Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988.
• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text 686868. Live chat counselling on the website.
• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour crisis centre.
• This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about.