SAINT JOHN, N.B. -- A forensic identification officer with the Saint John police department says some of the 40 blows to the head of Richard Oland were caused by a hammer-type instrument while others were inflicted with a blade-like weapon.
Sgt. Mark Smith is facing cross-examination today in the second-degree murder trial of Dennis Oland in New Brunswick's Court of Queen's Bench.
Oland has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Smith says the blade-like weapon left wounds that were six to seven centimetres long.
Oland, who was 69, was found lying in a pool of blood in his Saint John office on July 7, 2011.
Under questioning from defence lawyer Gary Miller, Smith said it was one of the bloodiest crime scenes he had ever seen.
"Would you agree there was a great deal of force used?," Miller asked.
"It would be an opinion, yes," Smith replied.
The murder weapon has never been found.
Miller questioned Smith about a logbook that Maureen Adamson -- Richard Oland's secretary -- had given Dennis Oland the evening of July 6, 2011 to deliver to his mother. During earlier testimony, Adamson had indicated the logbook was left on a table in the middle of the office.
The court has been shown pictures of blood spatter on that table, but Smith has testified all tests on the logbook were negative for the presence of blood.
Miller asked Smith that if the logbook has been in the office at the time of the crime, would it possibly have blood on it.
"A possibility, yes," Smith answered.
Many of Miller's questions Wednesday focused on Smith's examination of Dennis Oland's silver Volkswagen Golf and a red reusable grocery bag in the trunk.
Smith said the car was searched for almost 16 hours and a number of different tests were conducted but there were no positive tests confirming any blood. SAINT JOHN, N.B. -- A forensic identification officer with the Saint John police department says the scene of Richard Oland's murder was one of the bloodiest he had ever encountered.
Sgt. Mark Smith testified Wednesday some of the 40 blows to the businessman's head were caused by a hammer-type instrument while others were inflicted with a blade-like weapon.
Smith was under cross-examination by the defence in the second-degree murder trial of Dennis Oland in New Brunswick's Court of Queen's Bench.
Oland has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Smith says the blade-like weapon left wounds that were six to seven centimetres long, while the hammer-like impacts were round and about three centimetres in diameter.
Richard Oland, who was 69, was found lying in a pool of blood in his Saint John office on July 7, 2011.
Defence lawyer Gary Miller asked Smith Wednesday, "Would you agree there was a great deal of force used?"
"It would be an opinion, yes," Smith replied.
The murder weapon has never been found.
Miller questioned Smith about a logbook that Maureen Adamson -- Richard Oland's secretary -- had given Dennis Oland on July 6, 2011 to deliver to his mother. During earlier testimony, Adamson had indicated the logbook was left on a table in the middle of the office.
The court has been shown pictures of blood spatter on that table, but Smith has testified all tests on the logbook were negative for the presence of blood.
Miller asked Smith whether the logbook would have blood on it if it had been in the office at the time of the murder.
"A possibility, yes," Smith answered.
Many of Miller's questions Wednesday focused on Smith's examination of Dennis Oland's silver Volkswagen Golf and a red reusable grocery bag in the trunk.
Smith said the car was searched for almost 16 hours and a number of different tests were conducted but there were no positive tests confirming any blood.
The court had earlier been told that a stained piece of paper towel and the sink in a bathroom near Oland's office had tested positive for possible blood. Under cross-examination, Smith said the blood was traced to the son of Oland's business associate, Bob McFadden, and it dated from before the crime.
Miller said the police seized eight pairs of shoes from Dennis Oland's home to be tested for traces of blood.
Smith confirmed that no blood was found on any of them.
The defence introduced two pieces of security camera video showing a man who appears to be Dennis Oland, but didn't explain the significance of either video -- each lasting just a matter of seconds.
The first one shows a person wearing a brown sports coat and carrying a red shopping bag walking in front of Thandi's restaurant, across the street from Richard Oland's office at 6:12 p.m. on July 6, 2011. That's about 30 minutes after the time Richard Oland's secretary said she left Dennis and Richard discussing genealogy at the office.
The second video shows a person who appears to be Dennis Oland entering a Kent's building supplies store in Saint John at 8:08 a.m. on July 7, 2011. The person is wearing a blue blazer.
Miller got Smith to describe in detail the many swabs and other samples that were collected and sent off to various labs for analysis.
Smith said that at one point, under the direction of then-police chief Bill Reid, a package of photos and details about the case was sent to Dr. Henry Lee, an American forensic expert who gained notoriety as part of the O.J. Simpson trial.
Smith said he didn't believe Lee ever responded.
The cross-examination continues Thursday.
