HALIFAX -- Jury deliberations in the murder trial of Halifax medical student William Sandeson are set to resume on Sunday.
Sandeson is accused of killing 22-year-old Taylor Samson, whose body has never been found.
Jurors wrapped up their closed-door discussions in Nova Scotia Supreme Court on Saturday evening without reaching a verdict. The 12-member jury has deliberated for nearly 20 hours in total since Thursday afternoon.
Before deliberations began, Justice Josh Arnold laid out four possible verdicts in the case: Sandeson could be found guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter, or he could be found not guilty.
He told jury members their verdict must be unanimous, although they do not have to arrive at a conclusion in the same way.
The trial heard Samson went to Sandeson's apartment on Aug. 15, 2015, to sell him nine kilograms of marijuana for $40,000.
Court heard Samson was last seen alive on video walking into Sandeson's apartment shortly before 10:30 p.m.
DNA matching Samson's was recovered from a bullet, gun, duffel bag and other items seized from Sandeson's Henry Street apartment in Halifax and his family's farm in Truro, the jury heard.
The Crown has alleged that Sandeson lured Samson into his apartment and shot him in the back of the head as part of a plan to alleviate roughly $70,000 in debt during a drug deal.
Defence lawyer Eugene Tan has urged the jury to acquit Sandeson, arguing his client is not a "criminal mastermind."
The jury of six men and six woman will return to court at 9:15 a.m. Sunday to continue weighing the evidence in the two-month-long trial.
