The search for digital fingerprints that could help clarify the time of Richard Oland’s murder was the focus of the Dennis Oland murder trial on Monday.
Payman Hakimian, a technical crime forensic analyst with the Fredericton RCMP, was the first expert witness to testify during the trial. He said police found about half a dozen personal computers and computer hard drives, along with other electronic devices, while examining Richard Oland’s office.
Hakimian examined all of the electronic devices, and concluded that Richard Oland logged into his computers for the last time in the early afternoon of July 6, 2011.
Hakimian said in his opinion, the last time any of the electronic devices in the office were used on that day was at 5:39 p.m.
Defence lawyer Alan Gold questioned that conclusion, suggesting there are actions that computer users can do that will not leave a trace.
Gold suggested that Richard Oland may have been visiting a yacht racing website later in the evening and that Hakimian failed to pick that up.
The RCMP computer analyst also testified that Richard Oland's cell phone had been plugged into one of the computers all afternoon.
Hakimian says the cell phone was connected to the computer until at least until 4:40 p.m. that afternoon. But he could not say when the cell phone was disconnected from the computer.
Dennis Oland, the last person to see Richard Oland alive in his officeand his son, has pleaded not guilty to second degree murder.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Mike Cameron.
