A Nova Scotia man arrested in connection with Nora Bernard's murder is the grandson of the celebrated native rights activist, police said Monday.
"The Truro Police Service has arrested and charged James Douglas Gloade, a 24-year-old male, with first-degree murder," Truro Police Chief David MacNeil told reporters.
Bernard, a 72-year-old Mi'kmaq elder in the Millbrook First Nation, was found slain in her home near Truro on Dec. 27.
"There was obvious blunt force trauma to her face and she had been stabbed in the upper part of her body," said MacNeil.
No murder weapon has been found.
The activist spearheaded a class-action lawsuit against the Canadian government on behalf of students of the residential school system, seeking compensation for loss of language and culture.
Bernard's dedication has been credited for reaching the settlement worth up to $5 billion to the more than 70,000 aboriginal school children who suffered physical and sexual abuse from the 1870s to the 1970s.
It is believed to be the largest class-action settlement in Canadian history.
Victims, including Bernard, had recently started receiving settlement cheques worth up to $10,000.
But police said the murder does not appear connected to the money Bernard was receiving.
Gloade was arrest Friday on an unrelated warrant. Police believe he has a history of drug abuse.
With a report from CTV Atlantic
