Sandeson not a criminal mastermind, defence says in closing arguments

William Sandeson is not a criminal mastermind who lured Taylor Samson to his home with a plan to shoot him and steal his marijuana, his lawyer argued in a Halifax courtroom Monday as he urged a jury to acquit his client of murder.

During his closing arguments in the case, defence lawyer Eugene Tan said there was a "violent incident" inside Sandeson's Halifax apartment, but that Sandeson maintains there were other people there that evening.

Sandeson, 24, has been on trial for first-degree murder in Nova Scotia Supreme Court. The prosecution has alleged Samson was killed in August 2015 during a deal over nine kilograms of marijuana. Sandeson and Samson were both Dalhousie students at the time. Samson's body has never been found.

Sandeson chose not to testify at his trial, but told several different stories when interviewed by police in the days after Samson disappeared. The last one described how two masked men had climbed through his roommate's window and killed Samson, taking his body away.

The Crown is scheduled to deliver its closing arguments Tuesday and the jury isn't expected to being deliberations until Thursday.

Criminal mastermind

Tan told the jury that the Crown is trying to convince them Sandeson lured Samson to his apartment with the intention of killing him and taking the marijuana Samson had planned to sell to Sandeson that night.

Tan asked the jury to consider why Sandeson acted as he did if he was a criminal mastermind.

Why, for instance, would he shoot someone when his girlfriend was likely to return to the apartment at any time, and when he knew the neighbours were home?

Why would he have left the security system recording? Why would he have left his 9-mm handgun in a safe in his bedroom? Why would he have restored the texting app that revealed to police Sandeson and Samson had discussed a drug deal? Why would he hide drugs at his brother's apartment, or other items at his parents' farm?

Tan told the jury that if circumstances weren't so serious, the Crown's theory would "border on the ridiculous."

Evidence handled poorly, defence says

Just because Sandeson cleaned up the blood in his kitchen does not mean he was responsible for the killing, Tan said.

The defence lawyer tried to discredit the Crown's case, reminding the jury that members have not heard evidence of a drug deal first-hand, but just inferences.

Tan said police failed to investigate all the evidence and that officers handled evidence poorly. The Crown's blood-spatter expert's testimony was "virtually no use whatsoever" because he was never asked to examine the actual gun or crime scene, but rather photos, Tan said.

Tan said Sandeson, who was about to start medical school at Dalhousie at the time of Samson's death, was a young man with a bright future who had a lot of money available to him, so finances can't be considered a motive as the Crown has tried to show.

During his lawyer's closing arguments, Sandeson sat staring straight ahead, expressionless, occasionally taking notes. Sandeson's parents attended court for the first time since the trial began in April.

The CBC's Blair Rhodes live blogged from Nova Scotia Supreme Court.