William Sandeson’s former roommate took the stand Tuesday at the 24-year-old’s first-degree murder trial.
Dylan Zinck, 24, told the seven-man, seven-woman jury he had been living with Sandeson at 1210 Henry St. for nearly a year before he was arrested and charged with murder.
Sandeson is accused of killing fellow Dalhousie student Taylor Samson, 22.
His body was never found.
READ: William Sandeson says during interrogation video intruders may have shot Taylor Samson
Zinck testified that on the night of Aug. 15, 2015, Sandeson asked him not to come home after 8 p.m.
He said he did go to the apartment briefly, around 7:30 p.m., so he could feed the cats and then left.
Zinck said it was a unusual for Sandeson to ask him not to come home for an entire night, saying in the past, if he was asked not to come by the apartment, it would be for a period of about 20 minutes or so.
The 24-year-old told the court when he arrived that night, the apartment appeared clean.
During the summer of 2015, Zinck testified that he was staying with his girlfriend most evenings and would only come home to check on his cat.
WATCH: Last images of Taylor Samson shown to jury in William Sandeson murder trial
He said the next time he visited his Henry Street apartment was around 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, 2015.
During that time, Zinck noted the apartment again looked clean and said Sandeson told him he had thrown out the shower curtain.
Under cross-examination, Zinck told defence lawyer Brad Sarson that he didn’t find it unusual for Sandeson to get rid of the shower curtain because it had mould on it.
Zinck was also questioned by defence lawyers about a roof that he and Sandeson used to barbeque on.
Zinck told the court the roof was easily accessible through the window in his bedroom and by a staircase that was on an adjacent building.
READ MORE: Witness in William Sandeson’s murder trial heard bang, saw man bleeding in apartment
Det.-Const. Illya Nielsen, a Halifax Regional Police officer, also testified Tuesday.
He told the court that he processed three scenes related to the homicide investigation of Taylor Samson: Sandeson’s car, an apartment on Chestnut Street in Halifax and a property in Lower Truro, N.S.
Nielsen said he entered and photographed a Chestnut Street apartment on Aug. 21, 2015 before officers from the major crime and drug units searched the property.
He told the jury he found a cardboard box and a backpack in the basement of the residence that contained vacuum sealed bags of marijuana.
Last week, Nicholas Rotta-Loria testified that in August 2015, he lived next to William Sandeson’s younger brother, Adam, at an apartment on Chestnut Street.
He said he and his roommates located a Dalhousie backpack, a box and a small grocery bag in their basement on Aug. 18, 2015.
Rotta-Loria said he and his roommates called lawyer Joel Pink the day after finding the marijuana and turned the drugs over to the Halifax Regional Police.
WATCH: Former teammate of William Sandeson tells court he saw bleeding man, bloody cash
Nielsen’s testimony is expected to continue Tuesday afternoon.
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