Family of N.S. homicide victim in shock, remember her as a loving, sweet sister – Halifax [Video]

More than a dozen members of Esther Jones‘ family made their way to a Kentville, N.S., courtroom Monday in a show of solidarity as the man accused of killing her made his first appearance.

Esther Uhlman, who was named after her aunt Esther, called the whole ordeal “a shock.”

“You never expect to have your family deal with a murder, especially that close. When it’s the murder of someone you know, it’s very, very devastating,” she said.

Dale Allen Toole, 54, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of the Jones, 55.

During a news conference on Sept 13, RCMP said Toole had been detained by American authorities at the Houston airport, just before attempting to board a plane to Mexico.

He was extradited to Canada and brought back to Nova Scotia on the weekend.

Jones was reported missing from Torbrook, N.S. in Annapolis County, on Sept. 2, and was last seen at the Kingston Bible College in …