Close X
Monday, November 25, 2024
ADVT 
National

Secretary Panicked When She Found Richard Oland's Body: Son's Murder Trial Hears

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 17 Sep, 2015 11:06 AM
    SAINT JOHN, N.B. — Richard Oland's secretary says she panicked when she walked into the businessman's office and found his body in July 2011, telling his son's murder trial Thursday that she noticed a strong odour when she arrived for work.
     
    Maureen Adamson testified that she set her coffee down and then saw something beyond one of the desks in Oland's office in Saint John, N.B.
     
    "I saw two legs protruding on the floor. I panicked. I went downstairs to get somebody," Adamson told Dennis Oland's trial in the Court of Queen's Bench.
     
    She ran downstairs to another business, Printing Plus, and told employee Preston Chiasson, "something's wrong."
     
    They went upstairs where Adamson said she went no further into the office than she had earlier. Chiasson went a bit further in, she said, and then called police or 911 to report that someone was dead or badly injured.
     
    Dennis Oland has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.
     
    Adamson said the well-known New Brunswick businessman was chatting about family history with his son the last time she saw him alive.
     
    Dennis Oland arrived at his father's office in Saint John around 5:30 p.m. on July 6, 2011, said Adamson, who found Richard Oland's body the next day.
     
    When she arrived for work on July 7, 2011, Adamson said there was a "vile odour" in the room.
     
    "It was really bad," she added.
     
    Adamson told the court that she spoke with the younger Oland for a few minutes when he arrived at the office the previous evening before Richard Oland joined the conversation. The two men had a shared interest in genealogy and were discussing the family tree, she said.
     
    She told the pair about a log book she wanted Dennis Oland to take with him, then shut off the coffee maker, made sure a door to an alleyway was locked, and left the building. Her husband was in their car outside waiting for her and she testified she left around 5:45 p.m.
     
    Crown attorney P.J. Veniot told court on Wednesday that Dennis Oland was in dire financial straits and owed his father a significant amount of money.
     
    Veniot said the elder Oland had bankrolled his son to help him keep his home after a costly divorce with his first wife. He gave his son a $500,000 loan and Dennis Oland was to make interest-only payments of $1,667 per month.
     
    By July 6, 2011, Veniot said Dennis Oland had maxed out a $163,000 line of credit and secured an advance from his employer in June 2011.
     
    He said Richard Oland was killed in a violent outburst that resulted in 40 blows to his head and neck.
     
    The Olands are one of the leading business families in the Maritimes, operating Moosehead Breweries, although Richard Oland left the company in 1981.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    New Trial For Ontario Lacrosse Player Convicted Of Second Degree Murder

    New Trial For Ontario Lacrosse Player Convicted Of Second Degree Murder
    Tashina General went missing in late January 2008. Her disappearance sparked an investigation on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border, with aerial searches and sweeps with dogs.

    New Trial For Ontario Lacrosse Player Convicted Of Second Degree Murder

    Fallen Hero Steve Fonyo Says He's Focused On Rebuilding Troubled Life

    The once-celebrated runner is back in the spotlight with a documentary about his troubled life at the Toronto International Film Festival.

    Fallen Hero Steve Fonyo Says He's Focused On Rebuilding Troubled Life

    Quebec National Assembly Returns After Summer Break

    Quebec National Assembly Returns After Summer Break
    Premier Philippe Couillard's governing Liberals and the Opposition Parti Quebecois have promised less political partisanship during the daily question period.  

    Quebec National Assembly Returns After Summer Break

    Alberta Mom Denied Marijuana Prescription For Daughter Turns To Ontario Clinic

    Alberta Mom Denied Marijuana Prescription For Daughter Turns To Ontario Clinic
    An Alberta mother whose daughter has severe epilepsy has travelled to Ontario for a medical marijuana prescription after the girl's doctor said he was no longer allowed to provide permission to purchase the product.

    Alberta Mom Denied Marijuana Prescription For Daughter Turns To Ontario Clinic

    Federal Government Appealing Federal Court Decision On Niqabs, Citizenship

    Federal Government Appealing Federal Court Decision On Niqabs, Citizenship
    OTTAWA — A hearing is underway at the Federal Court of Appeal in Ottawa over whether a Muslim woman must remove her face covering to take the oath of citizenship.

    Federal Government Appealing Federal Court Decision On Niqabs, Citizenship

    Syrian Refugee Applicant Dreams Of Unified Family In Halifax After Years Apart

    Syrian Refugee Applicant Dreams Of Unified Family In Halifax After Years Apart
    Youssef Aasar says he dreams of his family being reunited one day around the small dining table in his Halifax apartment, coming together after their flight from violence and corruption in Syria.

    Syrian Refugee Applicant Dreams Of Unified Family In Halifax After Years Apart