The second-degree murder trial of Dennis Oland has been called a marathon trial and with Justice Jack Walsh in the process of delivering his final instructions to the jury and the jurors being sequestered, the finish line is just on the horizon.
Justice Walsh telling the jurors that deciding the facts is their job, not his. Walsh says Dennis Oland is presumed to be innocent unless and until the Crown proves his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. It isn’t enough for jurors to believe Dennis Oland is probably or likely guilty, in those circumstances Walsh says they must find him not guilty.
For a charge of second-degree murder the Crown must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Dennis Oland caused Richard Oland’s death, that Dennis Oland caused his death unlawfully and that Dennis Oland had a state of mind required for murder.
Walsh says to make the decision consider all the evidence presented during the trial and it’s up to jurors to decide how much they will believe or rely on the testimony of a witness.
This on day 49 of the second-degree murder trial of Dennis Oland, who is accused of killing his father, high-profile businessman Richard Oland. Richard Oland’s bludgeoned body was discovered on July 7, 2011. 65 days have been set aside for this trial at the Saint John Law Courts.
CHSJ News reporter Laura Lyall is covering the Dennis Oland trial and is live-tweeting the proceedings from the courtroom. To follow along go to the CHSJ News Twitter page or the Wave News Twitter page.
