Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

Smell From Richard Oland's Office Was 'Nauseating,' Witness Tells Murder Trial

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 21 Sep, 2015 11:07 AM
    SAINT JOHN, N.B. — A man who was among the first to arrive after businessman Richard Oland's body was found told Dennis Oland's murder trial Monday the first thing he noticed was a sickening smell.
     
    Preston Chiasson was at Printing Plus below Richard Oland's office in Saint John, N.B., on July 7, 2011, when the victim's secretary, Maureen Adamson, came into the shop looking for help.
     
    "I immediately thought Richard was in trouble and I went to help," he testified.
     
    Chiasson said he noticed the smell:  "It was nauseating."
     
    Asked by Crown attorney J.P. Veniot what he saw when he went further in the office, Chiasson replied: "Richard on the floor, slaughtered."
     
    Justice John Walsh of the Court of Queen's Bench warned the jury and those in the public gallery that pictures from the office would be graphic. They showed the 69-year-old Oland face-down on the floor, his head and upper body in a pool of blood.
     
    His 46-year-old son, Dennis Oland, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.
     
    One of the first police officers to arrive at the offices of the Far End Corp. was Const. Duane Squires of the Saint John Police Force, who got a call at 8:52 a.m. to go to 52 Canterbury St.
     
    He also noticed the smell when he arrived.
     
    "One that I am familiar with," he added. "The smell of a decaying body."
     
    Squires said he saw a lot of blood spatter in the room and that he, another officer, and a police cadet left after about a minute and were careful not to disturb anything.
     
    Paramedics left after less than a minute in the office as well, Squires said, telling the police officers that rigor mortis had set in and the man had been dead for some time.
     
    Veniot told the jury in his opening submission last week that Oland was killed in a violent outburst that resulted in 40 blows to his head and neck.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Ian Macdougall Of Calgary's Model Milk Wins Hawksworth Young Chef Scholarship

    Ian Macdougall Of Calgary's Model Milk Wins Hawksworth Young Chef Scholarship
    VANCOUVER — A Calgary chef has taken top prize in a national competition designed to help jump-start the careers of young chefs.

    Ian Macdougall Of Calgary's Model Milk Wins Hawksworth Young Chef Scholarship

    Federal Leaders Prepare For Calgary Debate On Economy

    Federal Leaders Prepare For Calgary Debate On Economy
    Stephen Harper's rivals were busy defending the costs of their campaign promises on Wednesday, trying to bulletproof their platforms in advance of a leaders debate on the economy.

    Federal Leaders Prepare For Calgary Debate On Economy

    Second-Degree Murder Trial Of Dennis Oland Opens In New Brunswick

    Second-Degree Murder Trial Of Dennis Oland Opens In New Brunswick
    The Crown attorney has told the jury at Dennis Oland's murder trial that Oland's father, Richard, died after suffering 40 blows to the head and neck.

    Second-Degree Murder Trial Of Dennis Oland Opens In New Brunswick

    Seafarers Union Expands Court Fight Over Temporary Foreign Workers Program

    Seafarers Union Expands Court Fight Over Temporary Foreign Workers Program
    The union representing civilian sailors is expanding its legal fight over the temporary foreign workers program, naming two federal cabinet ministers in two additional lawsuits filed in the Federal Court.

    Seafarers Union Expands Court Fight Over Temporary Foreign Workers Program

    Hydrophones In B.C. River To Monitor Ship Noise In Effort To Help Whales

    Hydrophones In B.C. River To Monitor Ship Noise In Effort To Help Whales
    New hydrophones installed in 170 metres of water just off the mouth of British Columbia's Fraser River are expected to help researchers understand how shipping noise affects at-risk whales, says a project spokesman.

    Hydrophones In B.C. River To Monitor Ship Noise In Effort To Help Whales

    Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette's Remains Found, RCMP Charge Derek James Saretzky With First-Degree Murder

    Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette's Remains Found, RCMP Charge Derek James Saretzky With First-Degree Murder
    RCMP charge Derek James Saretzky, 22, with first-degree murder in the homicides of Terry Blanchette and Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette. Saretzky

    Hailey Dunbar-Blanchette's Remains Found, RCMP Charge Derek James Saretzky With First-Degree Murder