The second week of the William Sandeson first-degree murder retrial began with testimony from several police officers involved in the early stages of his case, including one who smelled “decomposition” and found an apparent bullet hole in his apartment.
The 30-year-old stands accused in the death of fellow Dalhousie University student, Taylor Samson, 22, who went missing in August 2015.
Sandeson is accused of fatally shooting Samson during a drug deal and later disposing of his body.
On Monday, Halifax Regional Police (HRP) Sgt. Sandra Johnston, who works in the forensic identification section, told the trial she made multiple visits to Sandeson’s Halifax apartment Aug. 19, 2015 and talked about photos and video she took inside.
She testified that she saw “what appeared to be blood” on several surfaces in the kitchen and bathroom.
Johnston told court about officers finding a backpack that had a garbage bag inside, containing money that was covered in what was described as a red liquid that appeared to be “diluted blood.”
She testified that the bag smelled like “decomposition.”
Johnston also described finding several items, including an axe, baseball bat and a “small sword” in the unit.
She also noted damage in the window frame that “appeared to be a bullet strike” and how another officer brought in a trajectory kit, to determine the bullet’s path.
The officer told the trial she also found a Smith & Wesson gun box with Sandeson’s name on it.
Earlier in the day, the Crown called two HRP officers who were involved with arresting Sandeson in Dartmouth on Aug. 18, 2015.
Det. Const. Robbie Baird testified that Sandeson was wanted on a charge of kidnapping, and that he was arrested without incident when he left a Dartmouth home.
RCMP Const. Marc MacMullin, also involved in Sandeson’s arrest, went to the Henry Street address Aug. 19, 2015, for a controlled drugs and substances warrant. He told court he seized two bongs, a small marijuana joint, a grinder and what he believed to be magic mushrooms.
HRP Det. Const. Jennifer Lake was called in during that same week to try to track down Taylor Samson.
She testified she checked his name to see if it was associated with planes, trains, buses, hospitals, banking information and medication information. Lake said those searches didn’t yield anything to help her find Samson.
Monday marked the fifth day of Sandeson’s retrial, which is expected to run until Feb. 23.
A verdict from a trial in 2017 was overturned on appeal and this second trial was ordered in 2020.