Final witness testifies at William Sandeson murder trial

The final witness has testified in the first-degree murder trial of William Sandeson. The Crown called Jordan MacEwan as a rebuttal witness to counter some of the statements Sandeson made when he testified in his own defence.

Sandeson is accused of killing Taylor Samson in August 2015. Sandeson has pleaded not guilty. But he has admitted to killing Samson, arguing it was self-defence.

Sandeson had testified that he believed Samson was behind a violent home invasion that happened early on the morning of Aug. 14, 2015, the day before Samson was killed.

MacEwan was the victim of that home invasion. He said three men forced their way into his apartment in the south end  of Halifax and assaulted him. He said he was left bloody and dazed.

He said the three attackers took a quantity of marijuana and magic mushrooms that he said "wasn't much." MacEwan said he had between $8,000 and $10,000 in cash in his apartment but the thieves didn't find it.

'Furthest thing from my mind'

MacEwan didn't recognize any of his attackers but he said Samson wasn't among them.

MacEwan admitted in his testimony that he owed Sandeson almost $14,000 that summer. He had borrowed money to buy drugs and Sandeson was charging him $250 a week in interest, he said.

Sandeson's lawyer, Alison Craig, suggested MacEwan had warned her client about Samson's possible link to the home invasion. But MacEwan denied that, saying it was "the furthest thing from my mind."

MacEwan said he didn't report the home invasion right away because he "wanted to continue on selling weed" and he thought that telling police "was a stupid idea."

This is the second time Sandeson has faced a trial on this charge. A new trial was ordered in 2020 after a verdict from a trial in 2017 was overturned on appeal.

Craig showed MacEwan a transcript of his testimony from the trial in 2017. But MacEwan said he doesn't remember the things he said at that time.

After MacEwan finished his testimony, the jury was sent home until Wednesday. That's when the Crown and defence will make their closing arguments and Justice James Chipman will give final instructions to the jury, which could begin deliberations as early as Thursday.