Belleville native found dead ‘lived every moment of life to its fullest,’ mom says

Former Loyalist College student Elizabeth Nugent was found dead in her Burlington apartment on Monday. Photo via LinkedIn

By Bevan Hamilton 

BELLEVILLE –The mother of former Belleville resident Elizabeth Nugent, found dead in Burlington this week, has released a statement asking for privacy for her family.

“Elizabeth was a beloved daughter, a caring sister and terrific aunt, and we miss her dearly,” Crystal Jane Nugent said in the statement, released through the Halton Regional Police. “She was a talented graphic artist, and prolific and gifted poet, and a fabulous friend who lived every moment of life to its fullest.”

She thanked the public for their kind words in the wake of daughter’s death, but asked for privacy.

Elizabeth Nugent was found dead in her Burlington apartment on Monday after Halton police responded to a call about an argument. Police said they arrived to find a man barricaded inside the apartment. The man told police he had a gun.

After negotiating with the man, Tactical Rescue Unit officers forced entry into the apartment and arrested him. Police then found Nugent’s body.

Police said Nugent and the man were involved in an intimate relationship.

Malcolm Copeland, 41, has been charged with second-degree murder. Copeland was scheduled to appear in Milton court Thursday.

Nugent, 32, graduated with honours from the Advertising program at Loyalist College in 2003. In 2005, she started her own graphic-design business in Belleville.

The cause of death is unknown and an investigation is ongoing.

More to come…