William Sandeson guilty of second-degree murder, jury rejects self-defence claim
CTV
A jury found a former Halifax medical student guilty of second-degree murder on Saturday in the 2015 shooting death of a fellow student whose body has never been found.
A jury found a former Halifax medical student guilty of second-degree murder on Saturday in the 2015 shooting death of a fellow student whose body has never been found.
During his trial, William Sandeson had testified before a Nova Scotia Supreme Court jury he killed physics student Taylor Samson in self defence on Aug. 15, 2015, but the jury didn't accept that claim.
"It appears the jury has rejected the self defence statement ... and that's why they came to the determination of a second-degree murder outcome," said Crown prosecutor Carla Ball, in an interview outside court.
Before coming to the decision, jury members deliberated for about 23 hours, beginning on Thursday.
The lead juror first announced that Sandeson had been found not guilty of first-degree murder before declaring him guilty of the lesser charge, as Samson's family members sat listening quietly.
"We wanted first (degree) murder, but we're going to take what we can get," Samson's mother Linda Boutilier told reporters. "He (Sandeson) is evil. There's a special place in hell for him."
The six-week trial marked the second time Sandeson was tried for the crime. He was convicted of first-degree murder in 2017, but the verdict was overturned on appeal and a new trial was ordered in 2020.
