The three judges of the New Brunswick Court of Appeal convene this morning to deliver a decision on Dennis Oland’s appeal of his conviction for second degree murder in the 2001 killing of his father, Richard. Oland is attempting to get an outright acquittal or new trial.
If the judges aren’t unanimous in their decision, there’s an automatic right to appeal to the Supreme Court.
Oland’s defense lawyer Alan Gold argued the evidence was circumstantial and the guilty verdict was unreasonable.
At one point, Chief Justice Ernest Drapeau asked prosecutor Kathryn Gregory whether the cost of a retrial should play any part in the ruling. She replied by urging the Justices to follow the law.
He also questioned whether the prosecution engaged in too much speculation at the trial.
There was a lot of discussion about whether Oland was lying when he told police he was wearing a navy jacket the night his father was murdered instead of a brown jacket or was that just an honest mistake.
