A jury found a former Halifax medical student guilty Saturday of second-degree murder in the 2015 gunshot death of a fellow student.
during his trial William Sandeson testified before a Nova Scotia Supreme Court jury that he killed physics student Taylor Samson in self-defence on August 15, 2015, and the jury upheld the allegations. did not.
“The jury apparently dismissed the defense statement … and that’s why they concluded second-degree murder,” Crown prosecutor Carla Ball said in an out-of-court interview. rice field.
The jury deliberated for about 23 hours from Thursday before reaching a decision.
The chief juror first announced Sandeson As Samson’s family sat quietly listening, he was acquitted of first-degree murder before proclaiming himself guilty of a lesser charge.
Linda Boutillier, Samson’s mother, told reporters, “We wanted a first[degree of]murder, but we’re going to take whatever we can get our hands on.”Sandeson) is bad. Hell has a special place for him. “
Second 6-week trial Sandeson condemned for sin. He was convicted of first-degree murder in 2017, but the conviction was overturned on appeal and a new trial was ordered in 2020.
Those convicted of second-degree murder face life imprisonment, although the presiding judge may set eligibility for parole between 10 and 25 years. Unlike first-degree murder, which involves premeditated and intentional killing, second-degree murder is intentional killing without planning.
A first-degree murder conviction results in an automatic life sentence with no possibility of parole for 25 years.
Sandeson He has already spent about seven and a half years in prison, which will reduce the amount of time he has to serve before he is eligible for parole, Crown Prosecutor Kim McConney said.
During the trial, the royal family argued that: Sandeson Greedy to kill 22-year-old Samson and steal nine kilograms of marijuana he had brought to sell at his downtown Sandeson apartment.
During the trial, McConney said Sandeson Just as I started medical school in Dalhousie, I was planning to sell stolen marijuana to pay off a $78,000 debt.
A royal attorney said evidence of Sandeson’s get-rich-quick scheme was in a text he sent to his father months before the murder, and that the outstanding debt would be paid by September. also pointed to other texts he sent shortly after the shooting. I am squeaky clean now.
McConney also told the jury Sandeson I had purchased cleaning products in hopes of destroying bloody crime scene evidence.
“How many 22-year-old students do you know who have seven liters of bleach in their apartment?” she asked, adding the evidence she showed. Sandeson I cleaned the entire apartment within two hours of the killing.
testifying in his own defense, Sandeson I dismissed all those arguments. He said he brought a 9mm semi-automatic pistol to the drug trade to intimidate Samson, not to kill him.
“I pulled the trigger, but I didn’t want to hurt anyone that night,” he told the jury.
He testified that he feared for his life when Samson lunged at him during an argument over payment.
Sandeson He admitted to dumping the bodies in a tidal river that flows into the Bay of Fundy near Truro, New South Wales. He said he panicked after the shooting knowing he would face criminal charges for death and drug dealing.
His attorney, Alison Craig, said her client knew his dream of becoming a doctor would be over if he called 911.
Craig disputed the royal family’s claims that: Sandeson Greed and financial gain were the motives, with her clients claiming to be financially well off. She said she earns
“He had everything to look forward to in life,” said Craig. “He had no intention of murder.”
Craig also argued that the royal family’s allegations that the murder was well planned were moot. and left the surveillance cameras on for most of the night.
Jurors didn’t listen to police interviews Sandeson In it he offered several different accounts of what happened to Samson, none of which involved shooting in self-defense. Sandeson He told investigators that three unidentified assailants in black bodysuits entered the apartment, shot Samson in the head, and carried off his body.
Judge James Chipman ruled that the evidence was inadmissible on the grounds that Sandeson’s charter rights had not been respected.
Chipman set sentencing hearings for April 20 and 21, with Ball saying the royal family is seeking a sentencing “above the minimum”.
Craig declined to comment out of court, noting that Sandeson’s eligibility date for parole was likely to be at issue.