Bulletin: Dennis Oland: New Brunswick: Convicted of murdering his father - a prominent businessman - in spite of defence attack on police handling of the crime scene, in circumstantial case; "The key piece of evidence for the Crown was a brown jacket worn by Dennis Oland that had several small blood stains and also DNA that matched the profile of Richard Oland. However, none of the expert witnesses could say how long the blood had been on the jacket or how it got there."..."The work of the Saint John Police Department was under scrutiny, particularly at the crime scene. The jury was told officers used the back door of the building before it could be fingerprinted. They used a washroom for two days before it could be examined, and they did not ask a pathologist to determine if a drywall hammer was the probable murder weapon." The Toronto Star. Canadian Press.

"Dennis Oland collapsed into a chair, sobbing uncontrollably, as a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder in the death of his father: prominent businessman Richard Oland. Oland began crying and saying, “Oh my God,” after the verdict was read Saturday at the court in Saint John, N.B. He also could be heard saying, “My children.” The trial, which began in September, heard from nearly 50 witnesses and revealed a case built on what Justice John Walsh called largely circumstantial evidence. The body of Richard Oland was found face down in a pool of blood in his Saint John office on July 7, 2011. He had suffered 45 blunt and sharp force blows to his head, neck and hands, although no weapon was ever found. During the trial, the Crown focused on possible issues of motive including Dennis Oland’s financial difficulties and the knowledge his father was having an affair. But in his own testimony, Oland downplayed his finances as a recurring issue in the life of a financial adviser and said he never raised them with his father. He also said the two never discussed his father’s affair. The defence called just three witnesses, including Oland. The Crown called more than 40 witnesses.

Oland told police his father was a difficult person at times but rose to the occasion and funded his divorce. Oland said he didn’t have any involvement in his father’s death. “I had no reason to kill him,” he said in a 2011 interview with investigators. The key piece of evidence for the Crown was a brown jacket worn by Dennis Oland that had several small blood stains and also DNA that matched the profile of Richard Oland. However, none of the expert witnesses could say how long the blood had been on the jacket or how it got there..........The work of the Saint John Police Department was under scrutiny, particularly at the crime scene. The jury was told officers used the back door of the building before it could be fingerprinted. They used a washroom for two days before it could be examined, and they did not ask a pathologist to determine if a drywall hammer was the probable murder weapon."... Sentencing arguments are set for Feb. 11."

http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2015/12/19/dennis-oland-found-guilty-of-second-degree-murder-in-fathers-death.html