Close X
Thursday, October 31, 2024
ADVT 
National

Richard Oland Crime Scene Was Among Bloodiest Officer Had Seen: Court Hears

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 07 Oct, 2015 10:39 AM
    SAINT JOHN, N.B. — A forensic identification officer with the Saint John police department says some of the 40 blows to the head of Richard Oland were caused by a hammer-type instrument while others were inflicted with a blade-like weapon.
     
    Sgt. Mark Smith is facing cross-examination today in the second-degree murder trial of Dennis Oland in New Brunswick's Court of Queen's Bench.
     
    Oland has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
     
    Smith says the blade-like weapon left wounds that were six to seven centimetres long.
     
    Oland, who was 69, was found lying in a pool of blood in his Saint John office on July 7, 2011.
     
    Under questioning from defence lawyer Gary Miller, Smith said it was one of the bloodiest crime scenes he had ever seen.
     
    "Would you agree there was a great deal of force used?," Miller asked.
     
    "It would be an opinion, yes," Smith replied.
     
    The murder weapon has never been found.
     
    Miller questioned Smith about a logbook that Maureen Adamson — Richard Oland's secretary — had given Dennis Oland the evening of July 6, 2011 to deliver to his mother. During earlier testimony, Adamson had indicated the logbook was left on a table in the middle of the office.
     
    The court has been shown pictures of blood spatter on that table, but Smith has testified all tests on the logbook were negative for the presence of blood.
     
    Miller asked Smith that if the logbook has been in the office at the time of the crime, would it possibly have blood on it.
     
    "A possibility, yes," Smith answered.
     
    Many of Miller's questions Wednesday focused on Smith's examination of Dennis Oland's silver Volkswagen Golf and a red reusable grocery bag in the trunk.
     
    Smith said the car was searched for almost 16 hours and a number of different tests were conducted but there were no positive tests confirming any blood.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    B.C. Coroner's Jury Makes 25 Recommendations In Deaths Of Autistic Boy And Mom

    B.C. Coroner's Jury Makes 25 Recommendations In Deaths Of Autistic Boy And Mom
    Thirty-nine-year-old Angie Robinson killed her herself on April 3, 2014, after taking the life of her autistic 16-year-old son Robert.

    B.C. Coroner's Jury Makes 25 Recommendations In Deaths Of Autistic Boy And Mom

    If Monster Trade Deal Is Reached, Canada Will Release Details, Harper Says

    If Monster Trade Deal Is Reached, Canada Will Release Details, Harper Says
    It sounds like an agreement on the Trans-Pacific Partnership is close — and when it's done, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper says he intends to disclose the details of what he's billing as the largest trade deal in history.

    If Monster Trade Deal Is Reached, Canada Will Release Details, Harper Says

    3 Dead, At Least 15 Injured In Serious Multi-vehicle Crash On Highway 401 At Whitby, Ont.

    3 Dead, At Least 15 Injured In Serious Multi-vehicle Crash On Highway 401 At Whitby, Ont.
    A man, a woman and a boy died in the pileup and as many as 20 vehicles, including four tractor-trailer trucks, were involved in the collision in the westbound lanes of the highway

    3 Dead, At Least 15 Injured In Serious Multi-vehicle Crash On Highway 401 At Whitby, Ont.

    Golden Tree Statue Installed In Memory Of 3 Indo-Canadian Farmworkers Killed In Abbotsford Van Crash

    Golden Tree Statue Installed In Memory Of 3 Indo-Canadian Farmworkers Killed In Abbotsford Van Crash
    31-year-old Sarbjit Kaur Sidhu, 52-year-old Amarjit Kaur Bal and 46-year-old Sukhvider Kaur Punia were killed in March 2007 when a van struck a concrete median on Highway 1 near Abbotsford

    Golden Tree Statue Installed In Memory Of 3 Indo-Canadian Farmworkers Killed In Abbotsford Van Crash

    Howard Richmond, Ontario Soldier Who Killed His Wife Not Criminally Responsible For Murder: Defence

    Howard Richmond, Ontario Soldier Who Killed His Wife Not Criminally Responsible For Murder: Defence
    The trial of a Canadian soldier who killed his wife, but says he's not criminally responsible, heard from a restaurant employee Friday who spotted the victim's vehicle after she was reported missing.

    Howard Richmond, Ontario Soldier Who Killed His Wife Not Criminally Responsible For Murder: Defence

    TPP: Negotiators Close In On Auto Deal, Approaching 12-Country Trade Pact

    TPP: Negotiators Close In On Auto Deal, Approaching 12-Country Trade Pact
    Details have filtered out to stakeholder groups gathered in Atlanta for negotiations toward a 12-country trade pact.

    TPP: Negotiators Close In On Auto Deal, Approaching 12-Country Trade Pact