Accused killer Sandeson owed nearly $76K on line of credit, trial hears

The man charged in the death of Taylor Samson reassured his parents he was in good financial shape, despite taking out nearly $76,000 of a $200,000 line of credit issued when he was accepted to Dalhousie University's medical school in 2013.

William Sandeson is on trial in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax for the first-degree murder of Samson, another Dalhousie student who disappeared in August 2015. His body has never been found.

An RCMP forensic cellphone analyst told the judge and jury trial on Wednesday that Sandeson's mother texted him in May 2015 about his finances. His father also texted him to say Sandeson's mother was upset about his bank balance, the court heard.

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Gilles Marchand testified that Sandeson responded, "Well, she has no need to be." There was another text message from Sandeson to his father: "Will be paid this September." Sandeson also texted his parents that he'd been approved for a student loan, Marchand said.

The prosecution alleges Sandeson negotiated a marijuana deal worth tens of thousands of dollars with Samson prior to the killing.

Marchand also said Sandeson exchanged text messages with a woman, planning a trip to Australia on Aug. 16, 2015, the day after Samson was last seen.

Victim's DNA found in Sandeson's apartment

Earlier Wednesday, a forensic DNA expert testified that blood from Samson was found in his accused killer's apartment and vehicle, and on his gun and family farm.

Florence Célestin, of the RCMP's crime lab in Ottawa, said her lab processed all the exhibits police seized from Sandeson's apartment in south-end Halifax and from the Sandeson family farm near Truro. 

Those exhibits included Sandeson's 9-mm Smith and Wesson handgun, a bullet found lodged in the window frame of Sandeson's kitchen, chunks of flooring police removed from that same kitchen, and a tarp and black duffel bag recovered from the farm.

All of those pieces of evidence had Samson's blood on them.

Body still missing

Since Samson's body has never been recovered, Célestin said the lab had to build a known sample of his DNA from cells taken from his razor and a water bottle, and from DNA provided by both his parents.

That combination gave the lab a sample they could test against the blood stains on the evidence. 

Célestin said Sandeson's DNA was also found on some of the exhibits, along with DNA from others that couldn't be identified. 

Under defence questioning, Célestin said there were also samples the lab couldn't confirm as blood, despite the preliminary suspicions of investigators. 

The CBC's Blair Rhodes live blogged from court.