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Steven Elliott LAFFIN

 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
Classification: Murderer
Characteristics: Abduction - Rape
Number of victims: 1
Date of murder: July 28, 2010
Date of arrest: October 29, 2010
Date of birth: 1974
Victim profile: Nadine Anne Taylor, 29
Method of murder: ????
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Status: Pleaded guilty. Sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 13 years on April 24, 2013
 
 
 
 
 
 

photo gallery

 
 
 
 
 
 

Steven Laffin sentenced to life in prison for killing Nadine Taylor

CTVnews.ca

Thursday, April 25, 2013

A Dartmouth man has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 13 years in the death of a Halifax sex worker.

Steven Laffin, 38, pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder in the death of Nadine Taylor after he led police to her remains in a wooded area of East Chezzetcook, N.S.

Today, her family heard that police found large blood stains in the basement of Laffin’s home weeks after she disappeared.

“This was after he attempted to clean up the house,” said Crown attorney Rick Woodburn. “There was still lots of blood left everywhere. There was blood on the murder weapons, blood on the walls, blood all over the floor. It was a clear, brutal homicide.”

“I can hear her crying for help in my head and I couldn’t be there,” said Taylor’s aunt. “That pain in my heart just won’t go away.”

“Every special occasion or event that I would have shared with her has been shattered as a result of her being murdered,” said Taylor’s mother.

Taylor, 29, vanished after she left her Halifax apartment to use a pay phone in July 2010.

Today the court heard Laffin was getting married that month and that he lured Taylor to his home and murdered her the night his fiancée was away at her stagette.

Days later, he celebrated his marriage. A month after that, the court heard he kidnapped and viciously attacked another sex worker.

She managed to jump out of the trunk of Laffin’s moving car on Old Sambro Road in Halifax on Aug. 16, 2010.

“I don’t think he expected me to get away and fight as hard as I did,” said the woman, whose identity is protected by a publication can, in court today.

Laffin became a suspect in Taylor's death in October 2010 after he was charged in connection with the kidnapping case. He pleaded guilty to charges of kidnapping, aggravated assault, uttering threats and unlawful confinement in connection with that case last fall.

Today Laffin was sentenced to nine years in prison for beating, duct-taping, and choking the woman who escaped from the trunk of his car.

“I am going to make sure he does not get out on parole, some how, some way,” said the victim. “He does not deserve to walk these streets.”

His sentence for those charges will be served concurrently to the life sentence handed down for Taylor’s murder.

The Crown prosecutors and Laffin’s defence lawyer made a joint recommendation that he serve at least 13 years in prison before being eligible to apply for parole.

He is receiving credit for time served, which means Laffin will be eligible to apply for parole in October 2023.

Justice Felix Cacchione ordered Laffin to undergo a psychiatric assessment to be considered by the parole board upon his release.

Laffin apologized to Taylor’s family today in Nova Scotia Supreme Court, but Cacchione questioned his remorse.

He also added that he didn’t believe Laffin would be released from prison anytime soon.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kelland Sundahl and The Canadian Press

 
 

Stephen Laffin called 'psychopath' in murder sentencing

No parole eligibility for 13 years

CBC News

April 25, 2013

A 38-year-old Dartmouth man was called a "psychopath" on Thursday as he was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 13 years for the murder of Nadine Taylor, who disappeared nearly three years ago.

Steven Elliott Laffin pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder in Taylor's death.

"You're either a psychopath or you have serious psychopathic tendencies," said Justice Felix Cacchione as he handed down the sentence.

"It is clear that you have serious underlying issues that must be addressed before you are released."

Donna Taylor, Nadine's mother, described sleepless nights and needing therapy since losing her daughter.

"My daughter Nadine was my precious dolly girl, she was pretty, funny, loved people and animals. She would never turn anyone away that needed help or food," Taylor said in her victim impact statement.

"There are many precious moments and times that I will never share with my daughter Nadine. I know that every special occasion or event that I would have shared with her has been shattered as a result of her being murdered."

Laffin turned to face Taylor's family in the gallery and spoke in court for the first time.

"I'd just like to first apologize," he said.

"I know saying 'I'm sorry' won't do anything and won't bring Nadine back. But I am sorry for the pain that I have done."

The Crown prosecutors and Laffin's defence lawyer made a joint recommendation that he serve at least 13 years in prison before he's eligible to apply for parole. Because Laffin has been in custody since Oct. 29, 2010, he will be eligible to apply for parole in 10 1/2 years.

Laffin was also sentenced to nine years for kidnapping, aggravated assault, uttering threats and unlawful confinement in an August 2010 incident in which a woman escaped from the trunk of a moving car on Old Sambro Road in Halifax.

That sentence will be served concurrently with the murder sentence.

The identity of the victim in that case is banned from publication.

“Even for him to apologize just made it a lot different. I never expected that,” she said.

The woman, who told CBC News she has since quit the sex-trade, said Laffin grabbed her throat and choked her until she was unconscious.

When she recovered, her mouth was covered with duct tape and her ankles and wrists were bound. The woman was sexually assaulted and she said Laffin threatened to kill her.

She was stuffed into the trunk of Laffin's car, but managed to escape from the moving vehicle and get help.

More than two years later she got to look her attacker in the eye in the courtroom. She says the ordeal has made her stronger.

“I'm a recovering addict. I've been doing a lot better with the drugs. I don't trust anybody anymore. I don't help anybody anymore," she said.

Nadine Taylor's disappearance

Taylor disappeared in July 2010, after leaving her Halifax home to make a call from a payphone because she didn't have a phone of her own. She never returned, prompting her fiancé to contact police and spend nights biking around the city searching for her.

Laffin was charged with Taylor's murder in October 2010, even though police said at the time that they did not expect to ever find her body.

The night Taylor disappeared was just a couple of days before Laffin was to marry Joanna Swinemar. At the time, his wife-to-be was out of town attending her stagette.

Swinemar called Laffin that night and he told her he was tired and was staying home. During Laffin's preliminary hearing, the court heard testimony from his now ex-wife, that Laffin brought Taylor to their Dartmouth home.

Both his wife and police witnesses testified about blood spatter all over the basement of that home.

To explain the blood, Laffin told Swinemar he'd been mugged in the driveway and went down the basement to clean up so as not to mess up the rest of the house.

Because they were getting married and were expecting guests, Laffin persuaded Swinemar to help him clean the house. They scrubbed it down, but they didn't get everything because police were still able to gather samples for trial.

Police spent seven days searching the house, gathering the evidence they thought they were going to have to use at his trial.

The week before Laffin pleaded guilty, he led police to Taylor's body, concealed in the woods near a highway in East Chezzetcook.

Taylor had been working in the sex trade at the time of her disappearance.

 
 

Laffin pleads guilty to killing sex worker

CTVnews.ca

Thursday, March 7, 2013

A Dartmouth man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the death of a Halifax sex worker.

Steven Elliot Laffin was supposed to go to trial next month in the murder of Nadine Anne Taylor.

Instead, he entered a guilty plea in Nova Scotia Supreme Court Thursday afternoon, admitting he killed Taylor in July 2010.

The victim’s father says he heard what he knew all along.

“Well, I knew he was guilty. Everyone knew he was guilty,” says Cecil Taylor. “But the point is now there's time he’s got to serve.”

Laffin’s guilty plea comes with an automatic life sentence. The court still has to decide how much time Laffin must serve before being eligible for parole.

“We’re jointly going to recommend 13 years,” says Crown prosecutor Rick Woodburn. “The range for these types of things is 13 to 15 years.”

“We look at all of the facts, including the usual range for second-degree murder, all of the particular circumstances of this case, and the level of cooperation, if any, of the defendant,” says Crown prosecutor Susan MacKay.

Laffin led police to a wooded area of East Chezzetcook, N.S. last Friday, where they found remains believed to be those of Taylor’s, although investigators have yet to positively identify the remains.

“It will never go away, but it’s good to know now that she can have a burial anyway, and not just be thrown on the ground like dirt,” says Cecil Taylor.

His 29-year-old daughter vanished after she left her Halifax apartment to use a pay phone in July 2010.

Laffin came to police attention in Taylor's death after he was charged with crimes against another sex worker in 2010. Last fall, he pleaded guilty to charges of assault and confinement in the case of a woman who jumped out of a moving car in Halifax.

The Crown is asking for 12 years on those charges.

The woman - whose identity is protected by a publication ban - was in court today, along with the head of Stepping Stone, an organization that provides outreach services to sex workers.

She says sex workers are vulnerable to violence because of the stigma they face.

“There’s been 19 sex workers since 1985 who have been missing or murdered in Halifax, and that’s just our region alone,” says Rene Ross, executive director of Stepping Stone.

She says it’s important to remember sex workers are people too.

“Nadine was a beautiful force of energy.”

Laffin is due back in court on April 25 to determine parole eligibility and be sentenced on charges of confinement, aggravated assault and uttering threats in a case involving another woman.

Withe files from CTV Atlantic's Jacqueline Foster and The Canadian Press

 
 

Police finish searching site for missing woman's remains

CBC News

March 2, 2013

Police have finished processing a scene outside of Halifax where human remains believed to belong to Nadine Anne Taylor were found on Friday.

Taylor disappeared July 31, 2010.

On Friday her accused killer, Steven Laffin of Dartmouth, led police to a wooded spot in East Chezzetcook where they found the remains.

RCMP Cpl. Scott MacRae said police have moved on.

"This morning the major crime investigators and the forensic team have completed their work at a scene just off of the East Chezzetcook Road near Highway 107. They finished recovering what we believe to be the remains of Nadine Taylor and [are] still working with the medical examiner`s office to complete the forensic side," he said.

In a separate case, Laffin pleaded guilty to kidnapping, aggravated assault, uttering threats to cause bodily harm and unlawful confinement last October at Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax.

Those charges stem from an incident on Aug. 16, 2010, when a prostitute escaped from the trunk of a moving car on Old Sambro Road in Halifax.

The woman — who told CBC News she has since quit the sex-trade business — told a harrowing story about how she got into Laffin's car and he drove her to a parking lot.

The woman said Laffin grabbed her throat and choked her. She said when she regained consciousness, her mouth was covered in duct tape and her ankles and wrists were bound.

She said she was sexually assaulted, that Laffin slammed her face into the ground and said he would kill her.

The woman said she was stuffed into the trunk of the Laffin's car, but managed to escape and run to a nearby house to call 911.

Laffin is currently in custody for Taylor's homicide.

MacRae said Friday’s discovery will likely play a central role in the prosecutor’s case against Laffin.

 
 

Laffin pleads guilty to attack on prostitute

CBC News

October 4, 2012

A Dartmouth man accused of killing a prostitute more than two years ago has pleaded guilty to kidnapping and assaulting another sex-trade worker the same year.

Steven Elliot Laffin, 38, pleaded guilty to kidnapping, aggravated assault, uttering threats to cause bodily harm and unlawful confinement on Thursday morning at Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax.

Those charges stem from an incident on Aug. 16, 2010, when a prostitute escaped from the trunk of a moving car on Old Sambro Road in Halifax.

The woman — who told CBC News she has since quit the sex-trade business — told a harrowing story about how she got into Laffin's car and he drove her to a parking lot.

The woman said Laffin grabbed her throat and choked her. She said when she regained consciousness, her mouth was covered in duct tape and her ankles and wrists were bound.

She said she was sexually assaulted, that Laffin slammed her face into the ground and said he would kill her.

The woman said she was stuffed into the trunk of the Laffin's car, but managed to escape and run to a nearby house to call 911.

Laffin was scheduled to stand trial next week before a Supreme Court judge and jury on five charges — including attempted murder — but the Crown said Thursday that charge will be formally withdrawn when Laffin is sentenced in February.

The charge of aggravated sexual assault was also amended to aggravated assault.

Laffin is also charged with second-degree murder in the case of 29-year-old Nadine Taylor, a Halifax woman who disappeared two years ago. His trial on that charge is scheduled to begin in April.

 
 

Laffin preliminary inquiry breaks until Jan. 26

By Steve Bruce - TheChronicleHerald.ca

January 18, 2012

A preliminary inquiry for the man accused of killing Nadine Taylor has taken a break until late next week.

Steven Elliot Laffin, 37, is charged with second-degree murder in the July 2010 disappearance of Taylor, a 29-year-old woman who worked as a prostitute.

The inquiry got underway Monday in Halifax provincial court.

The Crown’s seventh witness, a police officer who specializes in forensic identification, finished testifying Wednesday morning. Lawyers then told Judge Anne Derrick the next witness isn’t available until Jan. 26.

Crown attorney Rick Woodburn and defence lawyer Kevin Burke agreed the hearing should be able to wrap up by Jan. 30, which would be its sixth day. Nine days were originally booked, with another three days on standby if needed.

The inquiry was moved into a larger courtroom Wednesday after a security scare Tuesday caused when a female spectator made a trigger motion with her hand as she walked past Laffin, who was seated on the prisoners bench.

There were no incidents Wednesday.

Taylor went missing after she left her Halifax apartment on the night of July 28, 2010, to make a phone call.

Laffin became a suspect about three weeks later, after the Dartmouth man was charged with attacking another sex-trade worker in Halifax.

Taylor’s body has never been found, but police charged Laffin with her murder in October 2010.

The preliminary inquiry will determine if there is sufficient evidence against Laffin for the case to proceed to a jury trial in Nova Scotia Supreme Court. It also gives the defence a chance to assess the strength of the Crown’s witnesses.

The seven people to testify so far include four civilians and three police officers. The evidence heard during the inquiry is banned from publication.

Laffin has been locked up at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth for 17 months.

 
 

Laffin's murder inquiry opens

By Steve Bruce - TheChronicleHerald.ca

January 16, 2012

A preliminary inquiry opened Monday for Steven Elliot Laffin, charged with second-degree murder in the disappearance of a Halifax woman.

Nadine Taylor, a 29-year-old prostitute, went missing after she left her Fairview apartment on the night of July 28, 2010, to make a phone call.

Laffin became a suspect about three weeks later, after the Dartmouth man was arrested on charges of attacking another sex-trade worker in Halifax.

Athough Taylor's body has never been found, police charged Laffin with her murder in October 2010.

The 37-year-old has remained locked up at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth.

Nine days have been booked for the preliminary inquiry, being held in front of Judge Anne Derrick in Halifax provincial court.

At the end of the hearing, Derrick will rule whether there's enough evidence to commit Laffin to stand trial before a Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge and jury.

Five people — four civilians and one police officer — testified Monday.

The evidence heard during the inquiry is banned from publication to protect Laffin's right to a fair trial.

Some of Taylor's relatives were in the gallery for Monday's proceedings, along with members of Stepping Stone, an organization that offers support for sex-trade workers.

On her way out of court, Donna Taylor told reporters she didn't want to talk about her daughter except to say that she was “poor, disadvantaged and helpless.”

The woman said it was difficult to be in the same room as Laffin. “He looks like a demon,” she said.

The hearing will continue Tuesday with testimony from forensic identification officers.

Laffin has another jury trial set for Supreme Court next fall on five charges involving the other woman, who escaped from the trunk of a moving car on Aug. 16, 2010. Those charges are attempted murder, kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, uttering threats and forcible confinement.

He's also charged with assault causing bodily harm from an incident with another inmate at the Dartmouth jail last August. The alleged victim was Clarence Michael MacLeod, who's also awaiting trial for second-degree murder.

 
 

Laffin an 'articulate and respectful' man: judge

CBC News

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

A Nova Scotia man accused of murdering a prostitute was described as an "articulate and respectful" man when he appeared before a judge in 2007, court documents show.

Steven Laffin, 36, was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder in the death of Nadine Taylor, a sex-trade worker.

He has also been charged with abduction, forcible confinement, aggravated sexual assault and uttering death threats in a separate case involving an ex-prostitute.

In 2006, Laffin pleaded guilty to attempted robbery after he went into a convenience store in Halifax with a knife and demanded money. He was given a two-year conditional sentence.

The next year, when Laffin wanted to have the terms of his house arrest amended, he appeared before Judge Jamie Campbell in Halifax provincial court.

In court documents, Campbell wrote that Laffin did not match the stereotypical image of a robber and said he had a "dignified carriage" and wore "carefully chosen business suits."

"At 32 years old he appears in every outward respect to be a person who should be looking forward to a bright future," Campbell wrote.

According to the documents, Laffin lost his job on a cruise ship, only to come home and discover that his wife had emptied the family bank account.

"He was left with no marriage, no money and no job," the judge wrote.

After he received the conditional sentence, Laffin "made a concerted effort to become reintegrated into the community" and began working at a Tim Hortons.

"He works more than regular hours. He has been promoted to a supervisory position. He has money saved and is paying off his debts. Apparently he has not lost his work ethic. He could have taken a very different approach," Campbell wrote in 2007.

"He has apparently, through work and dedication, committed himself to reestablishing his life. It is in society's best interest that he be encouraged in that endeavour."

The judge granted Laffin the desired amendments to his conditional sentence.

 
 

Sexual assault victim tells her story

CBC News

Thursday, September 16, 2010

The victim of an alleged abduction in the Halifax area told CBC News she relied only on her wits to escape from the trunk of a speeding car last month.

The 29-year-old woman, whose identity is protected by a court order, said she was sexually assaulted, bound and kidnapped on Aug. 16.

"He was choking me by my throat and I was trying to fight him but I couldn't do nothing," she told CBC News.

"He kept knocking me out, he kept putting me out by grabbing my throat."

The woman, who was a sex-trade worker until the day of the attack, said she got into a man's car in Spryfield, and he drove her to a parking lot.

She said she was overpowered and sexually assaulted.

"I remember coming to and I was duct-taped … my mouth, my ankles, my wrist, behind my back," she said.

"I remember waking up because he was undoing my pants at this point. I remember sitting up and saying, 'Shh, listen, there's somebody right there.' I was trying to get him to stop and he didn't stop, he kept going.

"He kept smacking my head into the ground, and my chin, kept slamming my face into the ground, telling me he was gonna kill me."

The woman said she was stuffed into the trunk of the man's car, and she felt the car was travelling about 120 kilometres an hour.

Two days after the attack, Halifax Regional Police charged 35-year-old Steven Elliot Laffin with abduction, forcible confinement, aggravated sexual assault and uttering death threats in the woman's case.

Remembered boyfriend's advice

Laffin, who is being held at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth, has a court appearance on Oct. 14.

This is not the first time Laffin has faced such charges. Court records show that in June, a charge of sexual assault with a knife was dropped when the alleged victim, another sex-trade worker, did not show up in court.

The woman in the August incident said she doesn't remember anything until she woke up in the trunk.

"I remember my boyfriend saying, 'If you ever get locked in the trunk there's always a lever to pull,'" she explained.

"I popped the trunk, the trunk come down so hard on me it knocked me out again. I don't know how long I was out … then I come to and I got up and I pulled the lever and I went out head first and I don't remember anything until I come to on the road."

The woman said she ran to a home on Old Sambro Road in Halifax, where the residents helped her call the police. She said she is struggling to recover from her injuries and the emotional trauma.

"Him telling me he was gonna kill me, and whispering in my ear. I can still feel him right here," she said.

"I see him every night. I can't sleep."

 

 

 
 
 
 
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