Canada - Richard Oland, 69, brutally murdered, St John, NB, 7 July 2011

[Snoopster]

Thanks for keeping us up to speed, redheart!
I appreciate it.

 

[redheart]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/oland-trial-juror-discharged-saint-john-1.3256728

The second-degree murder trial of Dennis Oland has lost another juror.

Juror No. 7 was discharged on Monday morning after an association he had with someone involved in the case came to the attention of the court.

The jury is now down to 13 members.

A minimum of 10 is required to deliver a verdict. Otherwise, a mistrial would be declared.

A total of 5,000 people were summonsed for potential jury duty, making it one of the largest — if not the largest — jury panel in New Brunswick history.

It was significantly larger than some of the most high-profile cases across Canada that have generated international headlines, including Luka Magnotta, Robert Pickton and Paul Bernardo.

Normally, only about 300 people are summonsed for trials in New Brunswick.

P.J. Veniot, the lead Crown prosecutor, previously told the court during his opening statement to the jury that a brown jacket seized from Dennis Oland's bedroom closet had four areas of blood on it and the DNA profile matched that of Richard Oland.

Saint John police obtained the jacket on July 11, 2011, and drove it to the RCMP forensics lab in Halifax on Nov. 30, 2011, for analysis, said Smith. The jacket was returned eight months later, on July 30, 2012, he said.

 

[redheart]

Summary of testimony from Tuesday, October 6:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/oland-murder-trial-bathroom-1.3258375

Earlier in the day, Smith revealed that officers who had been assigned to guard Richard Oland's office had been using the washroom located in the foyer area for two days before he tested it for evidence.

Smith, who was the only forensic officer available on July 7, said he turned his attention to the washroom outside Oland's second-floor office on July 9.

He said he found a paper towel in the garbage can that appeared to have a blood stain on it, but there was "nothing else of note."

A preliminary test of discarded paper towel indicated the possible presence of blood, he said, without divulging the results of the further analysis by the RCMP lab.

A swab of the bathroom sink had also tested positive for blood using a preliminary test, Smith told the court on Monday.

It's unclear how much the sink had been used during the previous two days.

Smith also testified about processing Dennis Oland's vehicle, which was seized during a search of his Rothesay home a week after his father's body was found.

The silver Volkswagen Golf was secured in the police garage and Smith examined it a few hours later. He said it looked clean on the outside, but it seemed as though the inside had not been cleaned for some time.

He swabbed 11 areas, including the door latches, the trunk release button, the steering wheel, the headlight and signal light switches, the emergency brake and the passenger seat.
Some areas had "weak positive results," meaning they turned green when a special chemical was applied, but it "took awhile" and there "wasn't a lot of colour."

Smith said swabs of the driver's side door handle and the trunk release were among the first five items sent to the RCMP lab in Halifax for further analysis.

Smith also explained the extensive testing done on some geometric patterns found in the blood around Oland's body.

Smith sent photographs to SICAR (Shoeprint Image Capture and Retrieval) database in Ottawa in hopes they would be able to determine the make and model of the footwear that left the impressions.

But there was a lack of detail and unique identifiers, he said.

Smith also reviewed video surveillance of Dennis Oland taken on July 6, 2011, to see what shoes he was wearing that day, and created impressions of six pairs of footwear seized from his home to compare the tread marks to those at the crime scene.

"My results were the same, insufficient detail to be able to come up with any kind of meaningful comparison," he said.

Smith also swabbed a computer in Richard Oland's office on July 12, 2011, to determine who the last user was, he said.

The computer in question was located at a spare desk in the office, which was being used that summer by Galen McFadden, who was helping Oland with a family tree project he was working on by scanning old photographs and other material.

McFadden is the son of Robert McFadden, who worked in Oland's office, was co-executor of Oland's will and went on to become the president of Far End Corporation, the court has heard.

Galen McFadden voluntarily provided Saint John police with a DNA sample on June 20, 2013, which has been entered into evidence.

His father's DNA was also obtained from a straw he used at East Side Mario's about six months later, Smith said.

Smith has not yet explained why the McFadden DNA samples were obtained.

 

[Snoopster]

So Dennis was driving a Volkswagen Golf? That doesn't sound like living high on the hog to me. Admittedly, if you are spending money elsewhere, then this might be a minor point.

And the next day in court there was this:

On Thursday, the forensics officer Sgt. Mark Smith told the jury that no blood or DNA identified as being Dennis Oland's was found on Richard Oland's body, or in the office where he was killed.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/dennis-oland-second-degree-murder-1.3264153

 

[redheart]

Man, what a mess was made of this murder investigation.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/oland-murder-trial-saint-john-1.3268364

Retired staff sergeant Mike King testified Tuesday that Deputy Chief Glen McCloskey, who was an inspector at the time, told him he didn't "have to" tell anyone that McCloskey went into the bloody office to observe the body.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/blood-...he-was-called-four-days-after-crime-1.2611270

An RCMP blood spatter expert arrived at the scene of Richard Oland's murder four days after the New Brunswick businessman's body was found, a period of time that he told a jury limited his investigation.
Sgt. Brian Wentzell testified Thursday that by the time he arrived, blood had dried and was beginning to flake away from the floor of Oland's office in Saint John.
"Things had been moved. The body was not there any more," he told the court.

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/n...ng-his-testimony-at-dennis-oland-murder-trial

He told the court he observed the crime scene twice that day, entering Oland’s office a short distance the first time, but later stepping between drops of blood to see into another room because he was curious.

He said he was there about a minute with another member of the police department when a forensic identification officer told them to leave.

“I was wrong, I shouldn’t have been in there,” McCloskey said. Gold said it was a professional disgrace to have the public hear what McCloskey did at the murder scene.

“I was embarrassed, for sure,” McCloskey said.

However, when Gold asked if McCloskey had asked King to lie about it, McCloskey replied “No.”

 

[Snoopster]

Crap. Everyone just wants justice, with no preconceived notions, and only a clean investigation can deliver that.

 

[redheart]

Report on testimony from Friday, October 16:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/dennis-oland-jacket-stains-1.3274447

The jury in Dennis Oland's murder trial heard more details Friday about a key piece of evidence in the Crown's case against him — a brown sports jacket seized from his bedroom closet one week after his father's bludgeoned body was discovered.

RCMP Sgt. Brian Wentzell, a blood spatter expert, testified about the five areas of staining he found on the jacket.

The stains were in the upper left chest area and on both sleeves, said Wentzell.

They ranged in size from "sub-millimetre" to about two centimetres, he said.

The accused told police he was wearing a navy blazer when he went to visit his father that night. But the victim's secretary testified he was wearing a brown jacket when he showed up at the office. He was also captured on video surveillance earlier in the day wearing a brown jacket.

Dennis Oland's defence lawyers are scheduled to cross-examine Wentzell on Monday morning.

They have previously suggested Richard Oland's blood may have been transferred to the jacket.

They presented evidence about the victim having a skin condition that would sometimes make his scalp bleed.

They also presented evidence that he had a hearing problem and would often lean in when speaking to someone, sometimes touching their arms as he spoke.

The Crown asked the pathologist if he noted any open sores on Oland's head that were unrelated to the attack. Dr. Ather Naseemuddin said he did not recall seeing any.

 

[redheart]

Article about court proceedings on Monday, October 19th:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/richard-oland-murder-trial-1.3277845

On Friday, the Crown witness had told the court he found five areas of staining on the jacket, which was seized from Dennis Oland's closet a week after his father's bludgeoned body was discovered in his uptown office.

The jacket is a key piece of evidence in the Crown's case against Oland.

Gold stressed it was a "brutal, vicious beating," with "hundreds" of blood drops flying 360 degrees around the room and that the victim and "perpetrator or perpetrators" would have been in close proximity.

"The blood stain evidence would support that," said Wentzell, as the jury was shown more graphic crime scene photos.

When Gold suggested the killer would have had "dozens and dozens" of spatter stains on him or her, however, Wentzell replied that it's "reasonable there would be some," but he could not say how much.

Wentzell noted the first blows would not have generated much blood, and that the sharp force injuries are believed to have been created by a linear-shaped weapon.

Such a weapon may have a small surface area, which tends to disperse blood to the sides, rather than back at a killer or forward, he said.

"I'm not saying there wouldn't be [any blood], I'm just not able to say … that there would be a large amount," said Wentzell.

Gold stressed how small the stains were, noting Wentzell had missed one of them, despite carefully examining the jacket twice. It was someone else at the RCMP lab who found it, he said.

The stains were so small they could easily go unnoticed by the wearer, suggested Gold. Wentzell said he agreed, depending on the colour. He could not speculate on if, or how, dry cleaning might have affected the stains.

The defence previously suggested the blood could have been transferred to the jacket. They presented evidence that Richard Oland had a skin condition that sometimes made his scalp bleed and that he had trouble hearing and would often lean in when speaking to someone, sometimes touching the person's arm.

The pathologist who performed the autopsy testified he did not recall noting any open sores on Oland's head that were unrelated to the attack.

In addition to trying to discount the significance of the blood found on his client's jacket, Gold also raised questions about the absence of blood found anywhere else, despite there being no evidence that the killer attempted to clean him or herself up.

He grilled Wentzell about the absence of blood transfer found in Dennis Oland's Volkswagen Golf, arguing if Richard Oland's killer had gotten into that car shortly after the slaying, there would be an "excellent chance" of blood being in the car.

"The probability is yes, there would be blood transfer," said Wentzell.

"The killer would have a better chance of winning the New Brunswick lottery than not leaving any trace in that car. Is that fair?" asked Gold.

"If the individual had clothing on and received blood on their person and went to that vehicle and the blood was still wet, there would be a good opportunity for transfer," said Wentzell, quickly adding that he doesn't know the "circumstances" of this case.

 

[redheart]

From court Tuesday, October 20:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/dennis-oland-trial-andrew-shaw-1.3279873

Two men who believe they heard Richard Oland being killed, testified Tuesday at Dennis Oland's second-degree murder trial.

But John Ainsworth's recollection of when he heard the "thumping" noises coming from Richard Oland's office supports the Crown's case, while Anthony Shaw's time estimate supports the defence.

Ainsworth says it was sometime between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on July 6, 2011.

Walsh says it was around 7:30 p.m., or 7:45 p.m.

Earlier in the trial, the jury was shown a time stamped security video of Dennis Oland shopping at Cochran's Country Market at 7:38 p.m. that night.

Cochran's is located in Rothesay, which is at least a 15-minute drive away from Richard Oland's investment firm office at 52 Canterbury St., according to Google Maps.

He said Shaw arrived around 6 p.m. on the night in question and was helping him with a computer project when they heard the noises.

Ainsworth said there was an initial thump, then a slight lag, then eight or 10 thumps like "rapid fire."

The sounds were "stationary," and seemed to be coming from Richard Oland's desk area, said Ainsworth.

He and Shaw looked at each other, but once the noises stopped, they kept working.

 

[redheart]

More from court Tuesday, October 20:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/dennis-oland-police-statement-1.3281181

Dennis Oland told Saint John police his father, Richard Oland, was not "the easiest guy in the world to get along with," and that they didn't have a close relationship.

He made the statements on July 7, 2011 — the day his father's bludgeoned body was discovered in his uptown investment firm office.

Const. Stephen Davidson interviewed Oland, starting at 6:01 p.m. At that time, Oland was considered "a witness, somebody to provide information that might assist police with the investigation, Davidson testified.

The extramarital affair his father was having with a woman previously identified in court as Diana Sedlacek was also a "family concern," he told police.

His sister, Lisa Bustin, found a bottle of Viagra and "was convinced that this was a legit thing and that, you know he was a dirty pig, I guess, because of it."

Oland raised the issue with his father's associate, Robert McFadden, saying "You need to tell Dick that, you know, people know. And that it should stop."

Oland spoke fondly of his father, however, for his financial support through a "bitter" divorce about four years prior, describing it as a "very pleasant surprise" and the "biggest thing" he ever did for him.

His father "basically bankrolled" the whole thing, giving him an interest-only "loan" of $500,000 or $600,000 so he wouldn't lose his home, which had been in the family for 70 years.

"It was a lot of money. And I was grateful for it," said Oland. "And to his credit, he never threw it in my face."

They also enjoyed researching family history together, he said. "That's why I was over there yesterday."

Oland appears relaxed and forthcoming during the first 50 minutes of the video shown in court, often referring to his father as "this guy" and laughing as he described some of his personality traits. The remainder of the video is expected to be shown on Wednesday.

Then Davidson asked Oland if he had anything on his mind he wanted to start with. "Well, the biggest thing that's on my mind is, what happened," replied Oland.

"It's pretty clear in my head that he didn't have a heart attack and die — something's happened to him," he said.

"So the first thing that runs through your head is, you know, is this one of those, you know, crack-head type things, or whatever, where someone goes in and you know, does that kind of thing … like sort of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

 

[redheart]

From Wednesday, October 21:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/dennis-oland-murder-statement-1.3281699

Dennis Oland became a suspect in Richard Oland's murder about two and a half hours into a videotaped statement he gave to Saint John police on July 7, 2011 — the same day his father's bludgeoned body was discovered in his office.

The accused was initially considered a witness and voluntarily went to police headquarters with other family members to provide any information that might assist with the investigation.

When Davidson asked Oland to go over the events of that day, he said: "Until I went over to his office, it was a very typical day."

Davidson, a 12-year veteran who had only joined the major crime unit a few days earlier, did not ask Oland to explain what he meant by that statement.

But Davidson, who went on to become the lead investigator three months later, did grill him about his account of events, including times, the routes he took, where he parked his car and any stops he made.

"Is there something else that happened that you're not telling me?" Davidson asked.

Oland, who had appeared relaxed and forthcoming throughout the first part of the video, which was played Tuesday for the court, seemed confused and flustered by that point.

"You have me intimidated now, so I'm getting a mental block," he said.

Oland drove from his office at Brunswick House, to the parking lot at the corner of Princess Street, climbed the stairs to his father's second-floor office, but realized he had forgotten some other "stuff" at his own office.

He said he might have used the bathroom in the foyer area before he went back to his car and drove the wrong way onto a one-way street.

"I went to go back to my office, but I don't have the key," he said, referring to the pass cards required to operate the elevator after hours.

Asked why he went up the one-way street when his office was in the other direction, Oland said he was actually considering three options — going back to his office to get the additional documents, going home, or going back to his father's office with the documents he had.

Just as he was leaving, Oland said his wife, Lisa, called him, saying she was sick and wondering where "the hell" he was.

So he headed home to Rothesay. But on the way, he said he decided to stop at Renforth Wharf to see if his children were there swimming — even though he was already running late and his wife was anxious for him to get home.

When he realized his children weren't at the wharf, he said he drove home, he and his wife went to Cochran's Country Market, back home for dinner, and watched part of a movie.

Davidson asked Oland if he had any involvement in his father's death.

"No," he replied with almost a chuckle.

"I have no reason to want my father dead, to kill him, to … I mean, no. I mean, we've had our things, but no, I wouldn't rob someone of the fun that they're having and, you know, I … he's just … no."

Davidson asked Oland if he could think of anyone else who would "have an interest" in killing his father. "Who would benefit from that the most?"

"Because of a grudge or revenge? That kind of thing?" asked Oland.

"For any reason," said Davidson.

Oland's first response is, "Someone who wanted $20 out of a wallet to buy drugs? Um … this is reaching, a vindictive ex-girlfriend?"

"I think he's pissed a lot of people off, but not to that point where someone would, you know, would want to … want to kill somebody," he said.

 

[redheart]

Thursday, October 22:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/oland-murder-weapon-drywall-hammer-1.3283461

Saint John police believe Richard Oland was killed with a drywall hammer, or "hammer-type" instrument, the lead investigator told Dennis Oland's murder trial on Thursday.

It is the first time the suspected weapon has been revealed since the prominent businessman's bludgeoned body was discovered in his uptown office more than four years ago.

Drywall hammers, also known as drywall hatchets, are hand tools that typically have a beveled hammer head with a waffle design on one side to nail up gypsum board, and a sharp ax on the other side to score the drywall.

Davidson said police searched the crime scene, the accused's home, and around the Renforth Wharf and Bill McGuire Community Centre in Rothesay, but did not locate any weapon.

In a videotaped statement to police on July 7, Dennis Oland said he had stopped at the wharf on his way home to Rothesay after visiting his father to see if his children were there swimming.

He made the stop even though he was already running late and his wife Lisa, who was sick, was anxious for him to get home, the court heard on Wednesday, when the second half of the 2.5-hour statement was played.

Police also never found Richard Oland's iPhone 4. It was the only item that went missing from the crime scene. His wallet, Rolex watch, electronics equipment and BMW, which was parked outside, were untouched.

Davidson testified about cellphone tests he conducted as part of the investigation on March 22, 2012 — eight months after the murder.

He was issued an iPhone 4 and, using the same service as the victim, made a series of calls at various locations in the Saint John and Rothesay areas to see which cellphone towers picked up the signals.

 

[redheart]

Friday, October 23:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/oland-murder-jacket-video-statement-1.3285699

Dennis Oland was warned several times during his police statement that whatever he said could and would be verified by video surveillance, his murder trial heard on Friday.

Defence lawyer Gary Miller pointed out at least five occasions Const. Stephen Davidson told Oland about video cameras, including some that didn't exist.

"OK. And what were you wearing? 'Cause we … I just want to make sure who was coming in, who was going out. When we look at the surveillance I can say … that's Dennis, and that's this guy," Davidson had asked Oland.

"Um, these pants, these shoes, a dress shirt, and a navy blazer," Oland replied.

The defence has not yet laid out its case for the jury, but it appears Miller is arguing it doesn't make any sense that Oland would lie about what he was wearing if he knew police could check through video surveillance.

He did not, however, put forward an alternative explanation for the discrepancy.

Miller also asked Davidson about statements he took from two men who believe they heard Richard Oland being murdered.

John Ainsworth, who owns the building Richard Oland's second-floor office was located in, and also operates the Printing Plus business downstairs, told Davidson on the morning Oland's body was discovered that he heard noises coming from his office the night before.

Davidson had marked in his notes: "8 p.m. stomping five to six times on floor."

Ainsworth "didn't describe it as a 'guesstimate?'" asked Miller.

"Not to my recollection," Davidson replied.

The timing of the noise is important to the defence's case because there is security video that shows Dennis Oland shopping at Cochran's Country Market in Rothesay at 7:38 p.m.

Earlier this week, Ainsworth testified that he couldn't say for sure what time he heard the noises. He said he was distracted by a computer project he was working on and wasn't paying much attention to anything else.

The best estimate he could offer was sometime between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

 

[redheart]

Dennis Oland trial hears investigator knew of allegation against deputy chief:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/oland-davidson-deputy-chief-lie-1.3286436

The lead investigator in the murder of Richard Oland knew about the allegation that Saint John Police Force Deputy Chief Glen McCloskey had suggested another officer lie to the court, but didn't tell anyone about it, Dennis Oland's jury heard on Friday.

Const. Stephen Davidson agreed under cross-examination by defence lawyer Gary Miller that the allegation made by retired staff sergeant Mike King was "serious."

But he said he didn't tell his superiors because he only knew what King had told him on Sept. 8 about his alleged exchange with McCloskey regarding the Oland crime scene.

"I didn't know the truth of it," he said.

Davidson also said that King told him he planned to tell the Crown about it, "so I had every belief it was going to be known."

McCloskey, who was the divisional inspector in charge of patrol services at the time and in charge of the major crime unit prior to that, has denied the allegation under oath.

The deputy chief suggested King made it up because he was bitter about being passed over for a promotion.

Former Fredericton police chief Barry MacKnight has been appointed by the New Brunswick Police Commission to investigate a complaint against McCloskey, made by the new chief of the Saint John Police Force.

Chief John Bates requested the investigation on Oct. 14, following King's testimony.

MacKnight will not begin the investigation under the Police Act until the conclusion of the Oland trial.

 

[redheart]

Richard Oland:



Dennis Oland:

 

[redheart]

For some reason CBC hasn't published a full length summary of Monday, October 26 court proceedings. So, here's a link from the Sun:

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/10/26/oland-murder-trial-hears-from-expert-in-forensic-video-analysis

An expert in forensic video analysis has taken the stand as the Oland murder trial begins its seventh week in Saint John, N.B.

Grant Fredericks was asked by the Crown to look at security video that shows Dennis Oland entering his office building on the morning of July 6, 2011, and compare it to pictures of a shirt and brown sports jacket seized from Oland.

Fredericks of Spokane, Wash., said that while the shirt and jacket are similar, he can't say they are the same because of the low quality of the video.

"Since no unique characteristics are visible in the video that could uniquely identify the question jacket, it is not possible to state it is the same jacket," he said.

Ah, I guess I just missed it. Here is the CBC article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/oland-trial-forensic-video-jacket-1.3288664

 

[redheart]

Summary from Tuesday, October 27:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/oland-trial-video-alibi-1.3290384

The lead investigator in Richard Oland's murder was grilled by Dennis Oland's defence lawyer Tuesday about his actions at the crime scene and his work on the case.

Const. Stephen Davidson previously testified that he had checked the back door at Richard Oland's Saint John office on July 7, 2011 — the morning the prominent businessman's bludgeoned body was discovered.

But during cross-examination, Gary Miller told the second-degree murder trial there's no official record to confirm Davidson's account, and even suggested the officer had made the story up.

On Tuesday, Miller pointed out that Davidson never mentioned checking the door in his notes from that day, or in his more detailed "narrative" report.

Davidson said he didn't mention checking the third floor in his notes either, but said he did check.

It seems Davidson is a sparse note-taker. He has only penned 26 pages of notes on the Oland case between July 7, 2011 and March 4, 2015, the court heard.

Davidson also faced intense questioning about the Saint John Police Force's efforts to identify and locate a murder weapon in the case.

Last week, Davidson said police believed Richard Oland may have been killed with a drywall hammer or "hammer-type" instrument.

Davidson said he searched online to see what drywall hammers looked like.

Asked whether he ever looked into the availability of drywall hammers at local hardware stores, he said he did. "Nothing formal," he said.

Davidson said he never bought one and never showed one to the pathologist who conducted the autopsy for his opinion on whether it could have been a possible weapon.

Miller then asked Davidson if he had any evidence that Dennis Oland ever owned or was in possession of a drywall hammer.

"No," he replied.

No weapon was ever found.

Miller also suggested to the jury Tuesday that a series of security videos taken on July 6, 2011, corroborate what Dennis Oland told police about his actions that night.

There is no video of Oland actually entering or exiting 52 Canterbury St., which Miller blamed on the limited range of the Thandi's security cameras. He introduced an aerial photograph showing the coverage areas of the cameras marked in black.

There is a video of Oland walking north on Canterbury Street, across the street from his father's office, at 6:12 p.m., around the time he said he left. But then he appears to cross the street, back toward his father's office.

Miller went one step further and suggested some of the videos serve as his client's alibi.

But Court of Queen's Bench Justice John Walsh quickly admonished Miller, describing his comments as improper.

The court has also heard that the time stamps on some of the videos are not accurate. One camera on Canterbury Street, across from Richard Oland's office, for example, is behind by about 58 minutes.

The judge formally instructed the jurors Tuesday that it's up to them to decide what person, place or thing is, or is not portrayed in the videos and how much weight to give the videos in their deliberations.

 

[redheart]

Wednesday, October 28:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/dennis-oland-investigation-dna-derek-1.3292157

Dennis Oland was under police surveillance for a week after Richard Oland's bludgeoned body was discovered, his murder trial heard on Wednesday.

Saint John Police Force Staff Sgt. Dave Brooker, who was the sergeant in charge of the major crime unit at the time, testified the surveillance started as soon as Dennis Oland left the police station on July 7, 2011, around 11 p.m.

Oland was also under surveillance for four days in October, 2013, to establish his daily routine, the court heard. About a month later, he was arrested and charged.

Police continued to investigate the 2011 slaying right up until a few months ago, Const. Shawn Coughlan revealed.

Coughlan testified he was assigned on Feb. 2, 2015, to obtain a "cast-off" DNA sample from the victim's brother, Derek Oland, who is the executive chairman of Moosehead Breweries Limited.

The patrol officer was also previously tasked with obtaining "cast-off" DNA from Richard Oland's business associate, Bob McFadden, and Scott Laskey, who served as one of the pallbearers at the victim's funeral, according to the obituary.

Coughlan was not asked why police wanted DNA samples from the three men, or why they sought to obtain them surreptitiously.

They weren't able to obtain a cast-off sample from Derek Oland, but were successful in getting samples from Bob McFadden and Scott Laskey. I wonder why they didn't just ask Derek Oland?

Earlier this month, Derek Oland told CBC News he was never asked to provide a sample.

"I was not asked for and did not refuse to provide a DNA sample to the Saint John Police Force," he stated in an email.

"I was, and still am, willing to help with the investigation into my brother's death in any way possible."

Coughlan said he examined three computers seized from Oland's home, reviewing emails and internet browser history for anything that might be relevant to the investigation.

But after days of searching a large amount of data, "you don't find a single piece of evidentiary material that could be brought to court?" asked Gold.

Coughlan agreed.

Oland's cellphone usage became an issue at court on Wednesday.

Justice John Walsh said he received a note from a juror during a recess, asking about Oland using his phone during the court proceedings.

Walsh assured the jury Oland "is not playing games," during his trial. "He is not not paying attention."

Oland is sending text messages to his defence lawyers, he said.

"In the old days," defendants used to have to write a note, stand up, and hand it to their lawyers, he said.

"Now, with technology, it's being done electronically."

 

[redheart]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/oland-investigator-russell-search-dry-cleaning-1.3293995

From Thursday, October 29 court proceedings:

A dry cleaning receipt seized from Dennis Oland's home was dated July 8, 2011 — just hours after Saint John police told him he was considered a suspect in the bludgeoning death of his father, his second-degree murder trial heard on Thursday.

Saint John Police Force Sgt. Jay Henderson testified the receipt was for 19 items, including two sports jackets, a pair of pants and 16 shirts.

A brown sports jacket seized from Dennis Oland's closet during the July 14 search is a key piece of evidence in the Crown's case against him.

The jury has not yet heard if the jacket in question was one of the two sports jackets listed on the VIP Dry Cleaners' receipt Henderson found on a chest of drawers in Dennis Oland's bedroom.

But the receipt was time stamped 9:08 a.m. — about 10 hours after Oland was questioned by police about what he was wearing when he visited his father at his investment firm office on July 6, 2011.

The receipt, which was under the name of Oland's wife, Lisa, indicated the items would be ready for pickup within three days. But that was crossed out and "SAT" was written instead, referring to Saturday, the following day, said Henderson.

A city transit bus was used to transport the search team, confirmed retired constable Rick Russell, who was the lead investigator at the time.

Russell played a key role in the search of Dennis Oland's home.

He served the warrant on Oland and his wife, he said. They were given the option to stay, but chose to leave.

Russell was in charge of the search inside of the house while another officer was in charge of the property search, he said.

Defence lawyer Alan Gold noted police spent only one day searching, although the search warrant was valid for four days.

"You were satisfied every conceivable effort had been made to locate evidence [in] the house and on the property?" asked Gold.

"Correct," replied Russell.

Search warrants were also obtained for Dennis Oland's car, cellphone, home computers, work computers, a camp log book, Richard Oland's cellphone records, and a sail boat called Loki, at the Royal Kennebecasis Yacht Club, the court heard.

Gold stressed the "extensive efforts" by police.

"The bottom line is ... you did everything you could" to find evidence related to who might have killed Richard Oland? he asked. Russell agreed.

 

[redheart]

Also from Thursday, October 29:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/oland-wharf-bag-murray-leblanc-1.3295180

Dennis Oland was seen picking something up off the ground at Renforth Wharf in Rothesay and putting the item in a reusable grocery bag on the night Saint John police believe his father was killed.

Barbara Murray and Douglas LeBlanc were sitting in a parked minivan at the wharf on July 6, 2011 when they saw Oland on the wharf. That's according to an agreed statement of facts, read into evidence at his second-degree murder trial on Thursday.

Murray and LeBlanc did not see him throw anything away, or leave anything there, the courtroom heard.

Police subsequently searched the area for a possible weapon and Richard Oland's missing iPhone, but neither was ever found.

It's not yet clear what the accused picked up, but he admits it was him the couple saw "walking briskly" that night.

That admission means Murray and LeBlanc won't have to testify at the trial, which should help shorten the duration, Justice John Walsh has said.

LeBlanc gave a similar account of the events that night. He said they were there "after supper" and there weren't many people around, just "the odd person here and there."

LeBlanc noticed a Caucasian, about five-foot-seven, with light hair, wearing a lighter sports coat, possibly beige pants and black shoes.

The man walked to the wharf, carrying a "typical multi-coloured Sobeys shopping bag with a reddish tint" in his right hand, then stopped and picked something up.

"Mr. LeBlanc thought it looked as if it was a small parcel of some kind, round," according to the court document.

"Mr. LeBlanc thought it looked wrapped in red or was red," it states.

The man walked to the end of the wharf carrying what he had picked up, sat sideways on the bumper at the end of the wharf, facing toward Rothesay.

He looked at the object, put it in the Sobeys bag, then got up and walked "quite swiftly" back to where he had come from, said LeBlanc, adding he lost sight of him after that.

Oland, who drives a silver Volkswagen Golf, told police he had stopped at the wharf to see if his children were swimming there.