Police said Steven Skinner has many tattoos. Police handoutPolice in Halifax have charged Steven Skinner with second-degree murder in the death of Stacey Adams last spring.

Adams, 20, was shot on Shadewell Lane in Lake Echo on April 10.

Police announced Monday that Skinner, 38, was charged and a warrant had been issued for his arrest. Police asked anyone with information about his whereabouts to call them or Crimestoppers.

Police also said Brittany Derbyshire, 23, was charged with one count of accessory after the fact.

The charges come more than three months after Adams's body was found outside a newly built home.

Senior police officials didn't say what specifically led them to charge Skinner and Derbyshire. They said it was due to "persistence, co-operation and determination" on the part of investigators.

"These charges demonstrate that our actions to identify those responsible for violent crimes are working," said Insp. Joanne Crampton, with Halifax District RCMP.

"This type of violence has a huge impact on the overall well-being of a community. We hope these arrests will help bring a sense of security to people living not just in Lake Echo but across HRM."

Supt. Stephen Sykes, with Halifax Regional Police, said investigators maintained from the start that the shooting was not a random attack.

Derbyshire is scheduled to appear in Nova Scotia Supreme Court on Aug. 4.

Relief for family

Gloria Adams, Stacey Adams's mother, said the charges came as a relief.

Stacey Adams's baby son was recently born. CBC"I'm really happy today that they've laid charges. They've done a great job. I'm quite ecstatic about this," she said.

Adams said she hoped Skinner contacts police.

"I pray that he turns himself in. Now whether he does or he doesn't — I mean, you can't run forever, now can you? It doesn't work like that. Sooner or later every snail has got to come out of their shell."

Adams's girlfriend gave birth to his son last week.