SAINT JOHN – On day 50, the judge overseeing the Dennis Oland second-degree murder trial brought his final instructions to a close.
The fate of Oland now rests with 12 jurors.
Justice Jack Walsh concluded his lengthy charge Wednesday by continuing to refresh the jurors’ minds on the evidence presented in the case.
Walsh went through a number of circumstances in which he said there was no physical evidence connecting Dennis Oland to the crime, including the crime scene.
He also brought the jury through Oland’s police statement and court testimony.
“If you believe Dennis Oland’s statement and testimony that he didn’t commit the offence charged, you must find him not guilty,” Walsh said to the jury.
“Even if you don’t believe his statement and testimony. If it leaves you with reasonable doubt about his guilt you must find him not guilty.”
During his final words before sending the jurors off to deliberate, Walsh asked the jury to “keep an open mind, but not an empty head.”
The jury has been sequestered until a verdict is reached.
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