Halifax jury extends deliberations into a third day in William Sandeson murder trial

The Halifax jury that will decide the fate of William Sandeson, an ex-medical student accused of murder, has concluded its deliberations for the day without reaching a verdict.

The 12 men and women started their deliberations Thursday afternoon and spent almost all day Friday in the Nova Scotia Supreme Court jury room.

Sandeson has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of fellow Dalhousie University student Taylor Samson on Aug. 15, 2015, during a drug deal.

The accused has admitted he fatally shot the physics student during the drug deal, but he claimed he did so in self-defence, saying the victim lunged at him during an argument over payment.

The Crown has told the court Sandeson was motivated by greed when he shot Samson and stole the nine kilograms of marijuana he had brought to Sandeson’s apartment that night.

On Thursday night, the jury asked Justice James Chipman if a murder could be considered “planned and deliberate” if the planning took place only 30 seconds before the act.

The question would appear to refer to one of the requirements for a first-degree murder conviction, which is that the killing must be planned and deliberate.

Chipman read an excerpt from his charge to the jury, which said that a murder committed on a sudden impulse or without prior consideration, even with an intention to kill, is not a planned murder.

The judge followed up by saying the law does not define the length of time required for a planned murder.

On Friday, the jury asked to have a closer look at the exhibits in the courtroom, which include the nine kilograms of marijuana in plastic bags, Sandeson’s 9-mm semi-automatic pistol, some bullets and some of the money found in his apartment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 17, 2023.