'Same old Dennis' greeted Richard Oland's secretary in hours before homicide

Richard Oland was pleased to see his son when he stopped by his Saint John office unannounced the night he was killed, Dennis Oland's murder trial heard Thursday.

Maureen Adamson, the elder Oland's secretary, testified he gave his son an "animated 'hello.'"

"As I remember, it was sort of a, 'Hey, Dennis," she said. "He seemed to be quite happy to see him."

Dennis Oland, 50, is being retried for second-degree murder in the bludgeoning death of his multimillionaire father more than seven years ago.

It was Adamson who discovered the 69-year-old businessman's body in his office the morning of July 7, 2011. He was face down in a pool of blood and had suffered more than 40 wounds to his head, neck and hands.

Adamson, the Crown prosecution's first witness, described being struck by a "terrible, terrible vile odour" and seeing legs splayed on the floor before she rushed to get help.

Dennis Oland was the last known person to see his father alive when he visited him the night before at his investment firm office on the second storey of 52 Canterbury St.

Adamson said he arrived around 5:35 p.m., just a few minutes before she left for the day.

She "chit-chatted" with him briefly about his daughter, who had been named most valuable player at a basketball tournament, she said under cross-examination by Toronto-based defence lawyer Michael Lacy.

"When Dennis came up and was speaking to you, it was the same old Dennis you'd talked to before, right?" asked Lacy.

"Yes," replied Adamson.

"There was nothing about his demeanour or the way he was conducting himself that put you on guard about anything, is that fair?" Lacy asked.

"That's fair."

When she left father and son alone together, they were discussing genealogy, with Richard Oland seated at his desk and Dennis Oland standing beside him, the courtroom heard. The pair were so engrossed in their conversation, Adamson said, they didn't respond to her when she said goodbye.

During opening statements Wednesday, Crown prosecutor Jill Knee described the relationship between father and son as "strained."

Adamson said she mostly saw them at the office, but as far as she knew, they had a good relationship.

"Aside from what I call normal grumblings most people have with family members … I thought they got along well," she said. "I did not see that distress that I heard about later on." 

An example of the "normal grumblings" she shared with the Crown was if Richard Oland tried to call his son and couldn't reach him, he would get "frustrated and a little upset."

When asked by the Crown how often Dennis Oland would visit his father at his office, Adamson said she recalled "maybe one or two times throughout the year."

She agreed under questioning by Lacy that there were occasions when Oland visited and she would only find out about it afterward. "I wouldn't always know he was there unless I was actually there," shes aid.

Lacy suggested there was nothing out of the ordinary about Oland visiting his father's office and that the timing of around 5:30 p.m. would also be normal. Adamson agreed.

Money issues

Lacy, the newest member of Oland's defence team, also challenged the Crown's theory of a possible financial motive for the murder.

Knee said Wednesday that Dennis Oland's bank account was overdrawn, his credit was maxed out and his latest monthly interest payment of $1,666.67 to his father — for $500,000 he received in 2009 during his divorce from his first wife — had bounced.

"This was the financial burden carried by Dennis Oland when he went to visit his father," Knee had said. 

Adamson said Richard Oland, whose investments were worth an estimated $37 million at the time of his death, didn't micro-manage his son's payments. She handled the post-dated cheques and if there was any issue, such as running out of cheques, she would contact Dennis Oland directly, she said.

"It was just a matter of a phone call or email. I knew they would come through and I wasn't pressing for it. I knew they would get there."

Her boss would only inquire about the payments "once in a blue moon," the courtroom heard.

The issue was not discussed in the weeks leading up to the murder, she said.

"He never complained to you or grumbled about the loan?" Lacy asked.

"No," Adamson replied.

By contrast, his wife Connie had a monthly allowance of about $2,000 for household expenses and had to submit receipts to be reimbursed.

A jury found Oland guilty in December 2015, but the New Brunswick Court of Appeal overturned the conviction in October 2016 and ordered a new trial, citing an error in the trial judge's instructions to the jury

Justice Terrence Morrison dismissed the 16 jurors chosen for the retrial on Tuesday over concerns the jury selection was tainted. Morrison is presiding over the new retrial without a jury.

Lead defence lawyer Alan Gold and Crown prosecutor Jill Knee delivered their opening statements Wednesday. Gold said Oland will once again testify in his own defence.

The trial resumes at 9:30 a.m. AT Friday with testimony from a new witness.

• Click here to catch up on the first day of the new trial.

• On mobile? Follow the live blog here