HALIFAX — A former Dalhousie University medical student is appealing his murder conviction for killing a fellow student in 2015 during a drug deal.
A jury in February found William Sandeson guilty of second-degree murder in the killing of 22-year-old Dalhousie physics student Taylor Samson.
Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Jamie Chipman sentenced Sandeson last month to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 15 years.
Sandeson filed a handwritten notice of appeal on Monday stating that the trial judge erred in law by failing to remedy an abuse of process and by not recognizing that his Charter rights had been violated.
The 30-year-old is seeking a stay of proceedings, or that evidence be excluded from the trial because it was allegedly obtained during an unreasonable search and seizure.
Sandeson was convicted of first-degree murder in 2017 for killing Samson, but that verdict was overturned on appeal and a new trial was ordered in 2020.
During his six-week retrial, the Crown argued that Samson's killing was motivated by greed after the victim brought nine kilograms of marijuana to Sandeson’s downtown Halifax apartment to sell.
Sandeson testified that he feared for his life when Samson lunged at him during an argument over payment.
He said he killed Samson in self-defence and disposed of his body, which has never been found.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2023.
The Canadian Press
