Husband charged in 2005 murder of N.S. teacher

Jason MacRae, 37, appears in court after he was charged with the Dec. 27, 2005 slaying of his wife, on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010.

Nearly five years after Halifax-area school teacher Paula Gallant was found dead in the trunk of her car, police have charged her husband with first degree murder.

Jason MacRae, 37, was charged with the Dec. 27, 2005 slaying, after his arrest Tuesday.

Investigators had struggled to find clues in the high-profile case over the years.

"The days of short turnaround are things of the past," Halifax police Chief Frank Beazley said at a news conference Wednesday.

He said there was a breakthrough in the investigation earlier this year, but did not elaborate on what information led to the arrest.

"New evidence came to light which allowed us to pursue it in a different way," Beazley said.

Police were seen Tuesday at the home where MacRae and Gallant once lived, emerging with a piece of drywall.

MacRae was arrested and questioned in his wife's death in February 2006, but released several hours later.

A year later, MacRae spoke to The Chronicle Herald about his wife.

"She was my life and she was taken away from me. I'd never do anything to hurt her," he told the newspaper.

Gallant, 36, was found dead in the trunk of her car outside Beechville Lakeside Timberlea elementary school, where she had been a teacher since 1999.

She was last seen going shopping earlier that day.

It took several weeks before a medical examiner said the case was a homicide. Police never released the cause of death, but local reports cited police sources saying Gallant was strangled.

Gallant and MacRae had a one-year old daughter, Anna, at the time of the murder.

Gallant's sisters worked to keep the case in the media, starting a letter writing campaign in hopes the public might have information to revive the stalled case. On Wednesday, Ted McInnis, a family spokesperson, read a statement from the sisters in which they thanked investigators for their years of work on the case.

"To family, friends, community members and the media, no words can fully express their deepest gratitude for the ongoing support they received throughout this entire ordeal," McInnis said. "It has been greatly appreciated, and the strength, hope and prayers that have been extended since Dec. 27 2005 will never be forgotten."

MacRae was arraigned Wednesday and was remanded in custody. His next court appearance has been scheduled for Sept. 17.

With a report from CTV Atlantic's Kelland Sundahl