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

[jillybean51]

If he left the office at 6:30 and arrived at the wharf at 6:44,I say impossible! I have lived in Saint John and 14 minutes to the wharf would really be pushing it,IMO.Anyone else local think the same?

 

[Arnie M]

If he left the office at 6:30 and arrived at the wharf at 6:44,I say impossible! I have lived in Saint John and 14 minutes to the wharf would really be pushing it,IMO.Anyone else local think the same?

I thought it was a tight timeline too so I tried the google map thing and comes out to 15 mins from Canterbury st to Rothesay , the wharf is 5 minutes closer so it is possible he could be there by 6:41 or so.

I say again , it is a huge blunder for Dennis to take the stand , his timeline was a bit muddled in the police interview , but the jury would not likely make a big deal about it , even when I watched it , I thought the police themselves were mixed up in the questioning , now by taking the stand Dennis has opened a new can of worms that does not look good on him.

 

[jillybean51]

I agree Arnie! Especially going from 3 visits to 2! Hope he has the video tomorrow to back this up!��

 

[redheart]

Dennis' cross -examination has begun.

Live tweets at link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/dennis-oland-murder-trial-december-1.3346628

 

[TupeloMz]

Have caught up on this case and have been reading along but first time posting here.
Thanks to everyone for the updates.
I believe he is guilty but I do not believe pros proved his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Jmho.

 

[Sillybilly]

from redheart's link above:

Robert Jones
@cbcjones
Yesterday Oland said the actual last time he saw him - during remembered third trip to the office - he was over by his assistant's desk.

Robert Jones
@cbcjones
Veniot asks about statement to police where Oland says the last time he saw his father he was sitting "at his big desk"

<bbm>

Last time I saw my mom 29 years ago, she was at the stove stirring a pot of soup. That image has never, never varied in all those years. But ... I'm not Dennis

I guess if RO was found deceased beside his big desk, it sounds better if you say you last saw him somewhere else?

 

[Arnie M]

$4 ,300 spousal support and $1 ,667 to father every month .... WOW , just those two things are about $72,000 a year , and he still has to support his current family and have a life for himself in there somewhere.

Must have been a brutal divorce.

 

[jillybean51]

I have no idea what Richard Olands home looks like,but I find it hard to believe that Dennis would have to share a closet!

 

[jillybean51]

I wonder why the rest of the family didn't testify,as planned?

 

[Unscripted]

If only I had a dime for each time Dennis crossed Canterbury Street... or remembered that he did. #olandtrial

Defence rests: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/dennis-oland-murder-trial-defence-1.3348608 (posted Dec 3, 2015, 10:27am ET)

 

[Arnie M]

I wonder why the rest of the family didn't testify,as planned?

Must have realized they were causing more harm than good .

All things considered , the crown had a slender case , even if Dennis did do it there was no real proof and I am sure the jury would have acquitted him. After he took the stand he looked more guilty than at first.

I think the jury will still let him off , almost have no choice . Too much doubt remains.

 

[Unscripted]

Richard Oland&#8217;s indisputable DNA on the brown sports jacket, positioning of the DNA on the jacket, and testimony by Tom Suzanski ("[FONT=arial, verdana, sans-serif]DNA samples found on his sports jacket most likely came from blood and not saliva or perspiration&#8221;) [/FONT]will be key for the jury IMO. http://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/mobile/crown-concludes-its-case-at-dennis-oland-trial-1.2673601

Not sure the jury is going to be charmed by DO&#8217;s ostensible absentmindedness about the events on July 6th. You remember you father&#8217;s jacket size at being 40/42 (testimony from Dec. 2nd) but important details, about the last time you saw your father alive, are as changeable as the wind.

And then there are:

~ Blue jacket, oopsie I was mistaken &#8212; twas the brown jacket.
~ Number of visits to Dad&#8217;s office&#8230; couldn&#8217;t remember, too much stress.
~ Did DO avail himself of the facilities on the first visit? (Maybe said yes initially, just in case forensics turned up evidence).
~ DO was, by his own admission, at 52 Canterbury until 6:30ish.
~ Nobody else caught on camera going into office from Thandi&#8217;s security cam (although CCTV only catches west side of street.)
~ Back door to alleyway was locked by secretary MA before she left.
~ iPhone cell ping @ 6:44 in close proximity (Riverside/Rothesay) to where DO was travelling at that exact time. Then iPhone goes dead.
~ DO&#8217;s financial situation.
~ Possible strained relationship.
~ Rolex and other valuables left in office.
~ Reusable grocery bag at the Renforth wharf with genealogy documents inside. Methinks you&#8217;d leave that in the car if you were going to the beach.
~ Chances of a random murder very low in that area.

MOO

 

[redheart]

Nice summary, Unscripted!

 

[dreamwatcher]

Nicely summarized. I believe he is guilty, but as some members have suggested, he may get off if some members of jury cannot say beyond a reasonable doubt.
There have been surprise verdicts before - so stay tuned!!

 

[Snoopster]

I've been away for a few days, but here are the things that are now catching my eye....

Oland testified on Wednesday that he "absolutely" loved his father and fought back tears when he said he misses him.

So he's fighting back tears at the trial, but he was flippant the day after his dad was killed, when he was being interviewed by police, and describing all of the mean things his dad did.

Oland said he was "nervous, in shock and sad" at the time of the statement, having just learned of his father's death, and remembers his comings and goings more clearly now.

Of course....time always improve MY memory. :notgood: I definitely get the possibility that shock can disrupt your behaviour and clarity of mind, but, DO didn't seem to be in shock. Do people in shock get super chatty for hours at a time?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/dennis-oland-murder-trial-defence-1.3348608

Having said that, I'm not sure that the Crown has the jury convinced 'beyond a reasonable doubt', even though I believe that DO is culpable. Hopefully they bring a fantastic closing argument. (something along the lines of what Unscripted laid out!)

 

[dreamwatcher]

http://globalnews.ca/news/513633/photos-offer-glimpse-into-office-where-richard-oland-was-murdered/

Photo from a small claims case filed by the Oland family holding company claiming they should not have to pay to restore the office where Richard Oland was murdered on July 7, 2011.
New Brunswick court documents

The Oland family holding company, Far End Corporation, filed the suit claiming they should not be responsible to pay for the repairs. The case has been settled out of court.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dick was making moves to lease space at the Main Mall downtown (I forget the name of it) shortly before he died, but it now appears that Far End is not moving.
Perhaps they could not afford the move??:waitasec:

 

[Snoopster]

http://globalnews.ca/news/513633/photos-offer-glimpse-into-office-where-richard-oland-was-murdered/

Photo from a small claims case filed by the Oland family holding company claiming they should not have to pay to restore the office where Richard Oland was murdered on July 7, 2011.
New Brunswick court documents

The Oland family holding company, Far End Corporation, filed the suit claiming they should not be responsible to pay for the repairs. The case has been settled out of court.

Interesting. If my family member had been killed, and his estate was worth a considerable amount, I don't think that I would put pursuing a case like this on my list of priorities.

 

[dreamwatcher]

What does that tell ya? It should be the very least of their worries.
37 million dollars to play with..... As I added to my previous post, Dick was making moves to sign a lease at a Main Mall Centre downtown shortly before he was murdered.

 

[Arnie M]

What does that tell ya? It should be the very least of their worries.
37 million dollars to play with..... As I added to my previous post, Dick was making moves to sign a lease at a Main Mall Centre downtown shortly before he was murdered.

Thank you DreamWatcher ... other than you , we have no way of knowing those inside details.

As I analyze this case I search for motive , something triggered somebodies emotions to prevent Richard from doing what he was going to do. It was an emotional attack.

Whoever ended Richards life had justification for doing so. At least in their mind , It may have been misguided justification , but that is beside the point.

I find it interesting that his son stated that one of the functions of an investment adviser was to protect the client (Richard) from themselves

With that in mind , I cannot exclude the son , nor the girlfriend , nor the accountant , nor someone else who may have a stake in the affairs of a $36,000,000 portfolio. If I was on the Jury my mind would think in such a manner

This has been one of the best Websleuth threads on the internet, Thank you , The way it should be.

 

[redheart]

Closing arguments set for December 14:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/oland-trial-testimony-courtroom-1.3351489

The jurors have been dismissed until Dec. 14, when closing arguments are expected to begin.

Justice John Walsh will then give his charge to the jury, which could take up to two days.

Once deliberations begin, the jurors will be sequestered until they reach a unanimous verdict.