No active probe in Oland slaying
Police statement follows acquittal of victim’s son
FREDERICTON • The Saint John Police Force said Wednesday it is not actively investigating the 2011 killing of multimillionaire businessman Richard Oland despite last month’s acquittal of Oland’s son on a charge of second-degree murder.
Police Chief Bruce Connell made the statement the day after New Brunswick’s Public Prosecution Services announced they will not appeal Dennis Oland’s acquittal.
Dennis Oland was charged in the bludgeoning death of his father in Saint John, N.B. He spent close to a year in prison after being convicted by a jury in 2015. That verdict was overturned on appeal in 2016, and his second trial before judge alone resulted in a ruling of not guilty July 19.
Justice Terrence Morrison of the New Brunswick Court of Queen’s Bench found that Crown prosecutors failed to prove their case against Oland beyond a reasonable doubt.
Defence lawyer Alan Gold has said his client was the victim of police tunnel vision. After the ruling he called on the Saint John force to “reinvigorate” its investigation and “find the real perpetrators of this terrible, terrible crime.” But the police chief says the investigation is done.
“It is the function of the Saint John Police Force to complete an investigation then turn the file over to the Crown prosecutor’s office. The Crown decides if there is sufficient evidence to warrant a charge, as was done with this case,” Connell said in a statement.
That statement drew a disappointed reaction from the Oland family.
“The family of Dennis Oland would certainly renew its offer of a reward, something that may provide the police with additional information or new evidence, which Chief Connell has suggested is required for further investigation to take place,” they wrote in a statement released through their lawyer William Teed.
Richard Oland, 69, was beaten to death in his Saint John office on July 6, 2011, his skull shattered by repeated blows from a weapon that was never found.
During the trial, the court heard that at least 19 Saint John officers entered the crime scene on the day the body was discovered — a parade defence lawyer Gold likened to a sightseeing tour.
The New Brunswick Police Commission, an independent civilian oversight body, has yet to decide if it will review the Saint John Police Force’s handling of the investigation.