Times Colonist

Jury deliberati­ons continue in murder trial of medical student

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HALIFAX — Jury deliberati­ons in the murder trial of Halifax medical student William Sandeson are set to resume today.

Sandeson is accused of killing 22-year-old Taylor Samson, whose body has never been found.

Jurors wrapped up their closed-door discussion­s in Nova Scotia Supreme Court on Saturday evening without reaching a verdict. The 12-member jury has been deliberati­ng since Thursday afternoon.

Before deliberati­ons began, Justice Josh Arnold laid out four possible verdicts in the case: Sandeson could be found guilty of first-degree murder, seconddegr­ee murder, manslaught­er, or he could be found not guilty.

The trial heard Samson went to Sandeson’s apartment on Aug. 15, 2015, to sell him nine kilograms of marijuana for $40,000.

Court heard Samson was last seen alive on video walking into Sandeson’s apartment shortly before 10:30 p.m.

DNA matching Samson’s was recovered from a bullet, gun, duffel bag and other items seized from Sandeson’s apartment in Halifax and his family’s farm in Truro, the jury heard.

The Crown has alleged that Sandeson lured Samson into his apartment and shot him in the back of the head as part of a plan to alleviate $70,000 in debt during a drug deal.

Defence lawyer Eugene Tan has urged the jury to acquit Sandeson, arguing his client is not a “criminal mastermind.”

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