A sentence of life in prison without parole eligibility for at least 10 years being handed down to Dennis Oland, who was convicted of killing his multimillionaire father Richard Oland in July of 2011, a case that Justice Jack Walsh called “a family tragedy of Shakesperean proportions.”
Walsh says the tipping point for the court is the unanimous jury recommendation for parole ineligibility which was 10 years, the minimum when you’re talking about a second-degree murder conviction. The jury deliberated for around 30 hours before coming back with their verdict.
The defence was looking for the minimum while the Crown wanted Oland to serve 12-15 years before being eligible for parole. Oland was given the opportunity to say something at the sentencing hearing and he chose not to do so.
The bludgeoned body of Richard Oland, a high-profile businessman, was discovered face down in a pool of blood in his investment firm office on Canterbury Street in uptown Saint John on July 7, 2011. Richard Oland suffered 45 blunt and sharp force blows to his head, hands and neck.
A bail hearing for Dennis Oland, who has filed for appeal, is coming up in Fredericton tomorrow.
