Halifax jury in third day of deliberations in murder trial of William Sandeson

By The Canadian Press on February 18, 2023.

HALIFAX – A jury started its third day of deliberations today in the trial of a former Halifax medical student charged with first-degree murder in the 2015 shooting death of a fellow student.

During the trial, William Sandeson told Nova Scotia Supreme Court that he killed Dalhousie University physics student Taylor Samson in self-defence during a drug deal.

This was the second time the 30-year-old was put on trial for the Aug. 15, 2015 killing.

He was convicted of first-degree murder in 2017, but the verdict was overturned on appeal and a new trial was ordered in 2020.

The Crown says evidence presented during the trial showed Sandeson was motivated by greed to kill Samson and steal the nine kilograms of marijuana the 22-year-old had brought to Sandeson’s downtown apartment to sell.

Crown prosecutor Kim McOnie has argued Sandeson had planned to sell the stolen marijuana to clear a $78,000 debt just as he was starting medical school at Dalhousie.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2023.

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