Dal student's murder trial told of blood stain evidence found at home

Police found a 9-mm handgun and what appeared to be blood when they searched the apartment of a Dalhousie University student charged with murder in the death of Taylor Samson, a Halifax jury was told Thursday.

William Sandeson, 24, is on trial for first-degree murder in Nova Scotia Supreme Court. The prosecution alleges he killed 22-year-old Samson, a fellow student, in a drug deal. Samson's body has not been found.

On Thursday, the Crown introduced a thick binder full of photographs taken of evidence found at Sandeson's south-end Halifax apartment in the days after Samson disappeared in August 2015.

The jury also heard testimony from Sgt. Sandra Johnston, who was with Halifax Regional Police's forensic identification section when Samson was first reported missing. She was part of the team that showed up at Sandeson's apartment two days after Samson was last seen alive.

Bullet hole in window frame

Johnston said she photographed everything she saw at Sandeson's apartment. The things she focussed on included what appeared to be blood stains on the kitchen table and chairs, as well as what looked like blood spatter in the apartment bathroom.

Johnston told the jury preliminary tests on some of these stains suggested they were, in fact, blood. Johnston said in the course of their search, police located what appeared to be a bullet hole in the frame of the kitchen window.

She said when another officer picked away at the wood, he found a bullet was lodged there.

All this Johnston both observed and recorded in photos and some video.

Johnston said during a search of Sandeson's bedroom, police recovered a small duffel bag. Inside was more than $2,200 in cash, most of it in $20 bills.

Johnston said when she searched the bathroom, she found another bundle of money in the garbage can under the garbage bag. She said they counted $5,000.

Their search of the bedroom also uncovered an empty box for a handgun and a safe.

Items displayed in courtroom

Johnston she and other officers returned to the apartment that evening, armed with the combination for the safe. She said inside they found a 9-mm Smith and Wesson handgun, two clips and a box of ammunition with two shells missing.

She said they also found a live round in the gun. Johnston displayed all these items in the courtroom for the jury to see.

The CBC's Blair Rhodes live bloggedfrom court.