Jury deliberations underway in William Sandeson murder trial

The jury in the first-degree murder trial of William Sandeson has begun deciding his fate.

The six men and six women started their deliberations early Thursday afternoon, after receiving final instructions from Justice James Chipman.

Chipman explained that there is a four-part test the Crown has to meet in order for Sandeson to be convicted.

The first condition the Crown has to meet is that Sandeson caused the death of Taylor Samson. That is not in dispute, because Sandeson has admitted to shooting Samson in August of 2015, when the men met in Sandeson's Halifax apartment to do a drug deal. But Sandeson has claimed the shooting was in self-defence, after Samson lunged at him.

The second condition for proving a murder charge is that the death was unlawful. If the jury accepts the self-defence argument, that condition would not be met. In fact, if they accept the self-defence argument, Sandeson would walk free.

The third condition for proving a murder charge is that Sandeson had the state of mind required, and the fourth condition is that the murder was planned and deliberate.

Other options for the jury

Justice Chipman said planning and deliberation are required for a first-degree murder conviction, However, the judge said even if the killing wasn't planned or deliberate, the jury could still convict him of second-degree murder. 

The judge spelled out two other options for the jury: they could convict of manslaughter or find him not guilty of all charges.

If the jury fails to reach a verdict by 6 p.m. Thursday, they will be sequestered for the night and resume deliberations on Friday morning.

This is Sandeson's second trial on the first degree-murder charge. He was convicted following a jury trial in 2017, but that conviction was overturned on appeal.