Moncton-area man acquitted of gun, drug charges after 2025 fatal home invasion

A Moncton area man has been acquitted of all gun and drug charges against him. The charges were laid after a fatal home invasion at his residence outside the city last year. Andrew Minifee was supposed to stand trial beginning Wednesday in Moncton Provincial Court on multiple charges, including possessing weapons for a dangerous purpose. Instead, the Crown said it could not fulfill its obligation and offered no evidence in the case. The judge found Minifee not guilty on all charges, and he left the courthouse. He was also charged with possessing prohibited knives and extendable batons and the unsafe storage of weapons. He was also accused of having cocaine and cannabis for the purpose of trafficking. The charges were alleged to have taken place on February 8th of last year. That's two days after RCMP said a fatal home invasion took place at Minifee's home in Berry Mills, just outside Moncton. RCMP said three people broke into Minifee's home and one of them was killed. At the time, police said it was a targeted attack and that the death followed an altercation. Brian Johnson, a 35-year-old from Halifax, was later identified as the man killed. Joshua Carvell and Cody Martin were initially charged with manslaughter, but those charges were dropped last fall. They still face multiple charges relating to the alleged home invasion. Carvell and Martin are set to appear in Moncton Court next week. Minifee declined to comment after Wednesday's court proceedings.