N.S. man kills neighbour and himself

Dartmouth - A murder-suicide in a Dartmouth apartment building left a 58-year-old man and his 60-year-old neighbour dead, but police are not releasing the cause of death.

Police found the bodies of Patrick Lee MacGrath and Marguerite Maude Kenney on Friday, after they were called to the building. Kenny's daughter went to check on her late Friday afternoon. CBC News reported that she knocked on the door and called the landline but got no response. She then tried her mother's mobile phone and heard it ringing in the apartment across the hall. When there was no answer at that door she called police. She said she did not know the neighbour but he had often "bugged" her mother for food. A Halifax Police Department press release stated that: "Based on the investigation, officers have determined this was a murder-suicide that occurred late Thursday night/early Friday morning in Mr. McGrath's apartment. It is believed Mr. McGrath took the life of Ms. Kenney, who was his neighbour, before he took his own." Autopsies were conducted during the weekend but no details were released. "We're not saying that out of respect for the families," CTV News quoted police spokeswoman Theresa Rath as saying. "We feel they've been through enough." She said members of the community were willing to speak to police, but no one had heard anything that could help with the investigation. She added that both MacGrath and Kenney were known to police. Sheila MacKay told the Chronicle Herald that she had lived across from McGrath until a month ago, and was afraid of him. She claimed that McGrath had keys made to the entrance of the building, which is owned by the Dartmouth Non-Profit Housing Society, and gave them to friends. "I shared that hallway with every drug dealer and junkie in Dartmouth," she told the Chronicle Herald. "At night, I was just terrified and I called the landlord continuously and the police, but they couldn’t do anything." She added that Kenney had brought her mail to her at her new place a few days ago and she warned her about McGrath.