Dennis Oland retrial hears senior police officer was ‘seated’ at murder scene

Dennis Oland’s retrial is hearing new testimony about the actions of police officers at the bloody crime scene where Richard Oland was murdered.

The testimony is from Sgt. Greg Oram, who was a member of the Saint John Police Force major crime unit, when well-known businessman Richard Oland was murdered in July of 2011.

This was Oram’s first time testifying at either murder trial of Dennis Oland. Oland is charged with second-degree murder in the death of his father.

Oram was among the officers to respond to 52 Canterbury Street on the morning of July 7, 2011 when the body of Richard Oland was discovered in his uptown office, bludgeoned to death with more than 40 blows to the head and neck area.

READ MORE: Dennis Oland second-degree murder trial continues in Saint John

Oram was also one of several officers to go into the crime scene, telling the court he was told he could go in, stopping just short of where the body was found.

He testified he would actually get to between two to three feet of Oland’s body with Insp. Glen McCloskey, a senior officer who was also in the office.

Oram told the court he was in the office area viewing Oland’s body when he noticed McCloskey there as well.

“He was half sitting” on a desk or table to his left, Oram said.

WATCH: Officer tells of surprise at seeing Richard Oland’s body

1:51 ‘This isn’t what we thought’: Officer tells of surprise at seeing Oland’s body

Oram would eventually indicate the area where he believed McCloskey to be seated on an exhibit photograph.

The court was told the officers would make their way to two other areas deep into Oland’s office before forensic officer Sgt. Mark Smith told them to leave the scene.

This is the second separate mention of McCloskey in the Oland crime scene in as many days.

On Monday, retired Staff Sgt. Mike King testified he was in the office area for a short time with McCloskey and now-acting Insp. David Brooker.

Brooker began his direct testimony on Monday. He took the court through his involvement in the investigation. That included the decision to have Dennis Oland placed under surveillance while he was being interviewed by police on the evening of July 7, 2011.

Brooker also detailed assigning officers to perform various searches, including both land and water searches of the Renforth Wharf area, as well as an extensive search of the home and property of Dennis Oland’s. It was a substantial search, Brooker said, involving “probably over 12” officers.

Under cross-examination from defence lawyer Alan Gold, the speculated murder weapon of a drywall hammer was raised. Gold says the pathologist who performed the autopsy on Oland spoke of the uniqueness of some of Oland’s head wounds. Brooker, who was overseeing the major crime unit at the time, told the court there was no thought given to circulating pictures of a hammer to other pathologists or homicide squads.

When asked why, Brooker said, “No particular reason.”

The now-retired McCloskey is expected to testify at the retrial, possibly as early as this week.

More police testimony is expected on Wednesday.