Margaret Hartrick

At 35 years old, Margaret Hartrick, who was also known as Robin, was navigating a difficult life in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. In the fall of 1998, her life was violently cut short, leaving a case that has troubled investigators for decades and is intertwined with one of Canada's most notorious wrongful convictions.

The morning of Thursday, September 10, 1998, began with a horrifying discovery. At around 8:25 a.m., students on their way to school found a woman unconscious in a wooded area behind Harbourview School at 25 Alfred Street in Dartmouth. The woman was Margaret Hartrick, and she had been subjected to a brutal assault, suffering from severe blunt-force trauma to her head. Paramedics rushed her to the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, where she fought for her life for eight days. Tragically, Margaret succumbed to her injuries and died on September 18, 1998.

The Halifax Regional Police launched a homicide investigation. Detectives learned that residents in the neighborhood surrounding the school had heard arguing earlier on the morning Margaret was found. Some also reported hearing a car speeding away from the scene. The evidence suggested that Margaret had been attacked directly in the wooded area where she was discovered. Despite these early leads, the investigation grew cold, and no arrests have ever been made.

Margaret’s murder carried complexities that extended beyond the immediate violence of the act. Prior to her death, she had been a key witness in the prosecution of Glen Assoun for the 1995 murder of Brenda Way. Hartrick had provided testimony during the preliminary inquiry, placing Assoun near the scene of Way's murder. Because she was killed before Assoun’s trial began in 1999, her previous videotaped statements and court testimony were entered as evidence. Assoun was ultimately convicted of murder, but he always maintained his innocence and was exonerated years later in a landmark case of wrongful conviction. The connection between Hartrick’s death and her role as a witness in the Assoun case has remained a lingering question.

Over the years, investigators have repeatedly appealed to the public for information. On the 20th and 25th anniversaries of her death, the Halifax Regional Police issued statements, emphasizing their belief that there are people who hold key information that could finally bring a resolution to the case. In a September 2023 media release, police urged those individuals to come forward, stating, "It is never too late to come forward and the smallest piece of information may be just what is needed to progress the investigation."

The case remains open and is part of the Nova Scotia Department of Justice Rewards for Major Unsolved Crimes Program. A cash reward of up to $150,000 is available for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Margaret Hartrick’s murder. Police ask anyone with information to call the Special Investigation Section at 902-490-5020 or the rewards program at 1-888-710-9090.