Several Halifax Regional Police officers who searched William Sandson’s apartment in 2015 testified Thursday at his first-degree murder trial.
Sandson is accused of murdering 22-year-old Dalhousie University student Taylor Samson, who went missing in August 2015.
His body has never been found.
Sandison is accused of fatally shooting Samson during a drug deal and later disposing of his body. Earlier this week, the 30-year-old accused pleaded not guilty in the Nova Scotia Supreme Court. His jury trial began on Monday.
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On Thursday, det. cast. Jason Shannon, who was in HRP’s General Investigations Division, was on the stand when this investigation took place.
He testified about seizing a backpack belonging to Sandson on the night of August 18, 2015. Among the items inside were a number of bathroom items, such as a shower curtain, liner and rug.
Shannon also talked about disconnecting a DVR that Sandson had installed along with a security camera pointing to his Henry Street apartment unit in Halifax.
Shannon made some other findings from the building including a safe and a Smith & Wesson gun box. He testified that he had a brief conversation with a tenant in a neighboring unit, but that the officers’ priority was to find Samson.
Samson was missing at the time, and required daily medication, so officers entered the unit without a warrant, given the extenuating circumstances.
Sandson’s defense attorney, Allison Craig, questioned Shannon about not having a handwritten note and how officers were in the small apartment for 17 minutes, when they had initially estimated seven or eight minutes.
Other officers also described their search of the apartment.
Find out. cast. When Alicia Joseph searched the bathroom, she found a clean tub. He testified to seeing a tidy room with medals and certificates under the name William Sandson.
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Authorities testifying Thursday said their goal was to find Samson, which ultimately did not happen.
On Wednesday the court was shown a video recording of Sandson’s police interview. At the time, he was not a suspect, but police believed he was the last person Samson spoke with via cellphone in late August 15, 2015.
During the interview, Sandson confirmed that Samson had recently offered to sell him nine kilograms of marijuana, but said the offer was declined because the sample he had recently tested was of poor quality. .
Instead, Sandson said he agreed to buy a small amount for personal use, and invited Samson to deliver the items to his Halifax apartment after 10 pm on August 15, 2015. But Samson never showed up, he said.
A search of Sandson’s apartment yielded video images from a surveillance system that showed two men entering the apartment on August 15, 2015 at approximately 10:30 p.m. The images show Samson carrying a large duffel bag.
The court proceedings mark the second time Sanden has been put on trial for Samson’s murder. In 2017 a trial verdict was overturned on appeal and a second trial was ordered in 2020.
The trial is expected to continue till February 23.
With files from The Canadian Press
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