Duffel bag tested positive for victim's blood, jury told as Sandeson's trial enters 6th week
Axe, swords and knives seized from William Sandeson's apartment also tested
A police officer in charge of seizing exhibits in the death of a Halifax university student testified Tuesday that blood belonging to the victim, Taylor Samson, was found on some of the evidence.
Det. Const. James Wasson was the exhibit co-ordinator for the investigation which started after Samson disappeared in August 2015.
William Sandeson, a fellow Dalhousie University student, is charged with first-degree murder in Samson's death. His judge and jury trial is now in its sixth week in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax.
The prosecution alleges Samson was killed during a drug deal. His body has never been found.
Stain tested positive for Samson's blood
Wasson looked after exhibits police seized from the accused's apartment in south-end Halifax and from the Sandeson family farm in Lower Truro, N.S.
The exhibits have already been introduced as evidence at Sandeson's trial.
Wasson was also responsible for sending off exhibit material for testing, including blood swabs taken from a handgun and a large black duffel bag police seized from the farm.
He testified Tuesday there was a large red stain inside the bag that tested positive for Samson's blood. Samson's blood was also found on a tarp seized at the Sandeson farm.
Axe, sword, knives tested
The court heard the shoulder strap on the duffel bag appeared to have been torn away. Wasson said there was soil on the bottom of the bag where it looked like it had been dragged.
He said the soil was sent away for specialized testing at a university in Ireland in the hopes they could pin down where the bag had been, but those tests were inconclusive.
Wasson also said an axe, swords and knives seized from Sandeson's apartment were tested in case any of them had been used to cut up a body. He said those tests came back negative.
The CBC's Blair Rhodes live blogged from court.