What 2014 court ruling said about man now accused of killing girlfriend, her father in Halifax [Video]

The man suspected of killing his girlfriend, her father and himself in Halifax at the beginning of the year had a lengthy criminal record in Ontario, including a history of firearm offences, Global News has learned.

Court documents from a sentencing in Toronto a decade ago detail Matthew Costain’s criminal record that began at the age of 14, arrests involving illegal guns and a history of issues with drugs.

In 2014, despite being a “repeat offender,” an Ontario judge said he believed Costain was ready to change and said there were “strong prospects for rehabilitation in this case.”

Five years later, Toronto police issued an arrest warrant for Costain relating to a 2019 nightclub shooting in the city that injured five people.

And then, as the new year dawned, Halifax Regional Police said they believed 39-year-old Costain had shot Cora-Lee Smith, 40, and her 73-year-old father, Bradford Downey, before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police said Costain had …