William Sandeson to make 3rd bid for bail ahead of murder trial

A Halifax man accused of killing a fellow Dalhousie University student six years ago is making a third attempt to get out of jail while he awaits his second trial on a charge of first-degree murder.

Lawyers for William Sandeson, 28, and the Crown appeared in Nova Scotia Supreme Court Thursday morning to confirm a bail review hearing will be held on Oct. 22.

Sandeson was just days away from starting courses in Dalhousie University's school of medicine when he allegedly killed Dal student Taylor Samson in August 2015.

Sandeson was convicted of killing Samson following a jury trial in 2017. But last year, that conviction was overturned and a new trial was ordered. That trial is now scheduled for January 2023.

Sandeson was denied bail prior to his first trial. He applied for bail again earlier this year, and was denied for a second time. The reasons for that denial and the arguments presented by the lawyers at that hearing are banned from publication to protect Sandeson's fair trial rights.

But before his current trial goes ahead, his lawyer is making a bid to have the charges thrown out. A hearing on a stay of proceedings request is set for next March. If the stay application is successful, it would pre-empt the second trial.

Samson disappeared on Aug. 15, 2015, after heading to a meeting at Sandeson's apartment to do a drug deal. Samson's body has never been found.