Dennis Oland's jury wraps up deliberations for the night

The jury at Dennis Oland's second-degree murder trial in Saint John spent about 5 hours deliberating on Wednesday without reaching a verdict.

Deliberations will resume at 9 a.m. AT, officials said.

The jurors will remain sequestered cut off from any contact with their family and friendsuntil they can reach a unanimous verdict,or inform the judge they are unable to reach one.

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The Crown has tried to prove that the 47-year-old Oland is guilty in thebludgeoningdeath of his father, prominent New Brunswick businessman RichardOland, more than four years ago.

The multimillionaire's bodywas discovered lying face down in a pool of blood in his Saint John office on July 7, 2011. The 69-year-oldhadsuffered45 sharp and blunt force injuries to his head, neck and hands.

His son, who was the last known person to see his father alive during a meeting at his office the night before, pleaded not guilty at the beginning of his trial, which started Sept. 16.

Several of his family members, friends and other supporters shook his hand and hugged his wife, Lisa, after the jury left the courtroom around 3:30 p.m. AT to begin deliberations.

Court of Queen's BenchJustice John Walsh turned the case over to the jurorsafter reviewing all of the evidence and giving them his 204 pages ofinstructions on how they should apply the law to thehundreds of exhibits, including crime scene photos, forensic results,financial reports and cell tower maps,as well as thetestimony of nearly 50 witnesses.

He told jurors there are only two possible verdicts: guilty of second-degree murder or not guilty.

Thedecision must be unanimous, said Walsh,urging jurorsto "keep anopen mind, but not an empty head."

He described the case against Oland as beinglargelyacircumstantial one.

"If you believe Dennis Oland's statement and testimony that he did not commit this offence, you must find him not guilty," said Walsh.

Even if the jurors don't believe Oland's accountbut are left with reasonable doubt, they must acquit.

They may only convict him if the rest of the evidence in the case as a whole proves hisguilt beyond a reasonable doubt, Walsh said.

Second-degree murder carries an automatic life sentence, but parole eligibility can be anywhere between 10 and 25 years.

One of the 13 jurors had to be dismissed on Wednesdaybecause only 12 are allowed to deliberate. The extra juror was in place as a safeguard,given the length of trial, in case anyone got sick or was unable to serve for another reason.Juror No.12 was selected by a random draw.

Walsh stood and shook her hand and thanked her for her service.

Earlier Wednesday, Walsh told the jurorsit's up to themto assess the adequacy of the Saint John Police Force's investigationas they consider whether the Crown has proven its case against the accusedbeyond a reasonable doubt.

There were "too many comings and goings at a crime scene, you may justifiably think," Walsh said.

He remindedthe jurors of evidence they'veheard regarding the policeinvestigation during the trial how police failedto protect the crime scene from possible contamination, how thebathroom located in the foyer outside the victim's office wasused by officers for two days before it was forensically tested, and how the back door was never tested for evidence.

In addition, police failed to ask the pathologist whether a drywall hammer was apossible weapon, said Walsh.

He noted there was no physical evidence connecting Oland or anyone else to the crime scene, and that there was nophysical evidence in Oland's car, on his BlackBerry, or the red reusable grocery bag he had with him on the night in question.

The jury should"take into consideration and common sense assess" what was found on the brown sports jacket seized from Oland's bedroom closet a week after his father's body was discovered, said Walsh.

The Hugo Boss jacket had three small blood stains on it on the right sleeve, upper left chest and on the back and the DNA extracted from those areas matched the victim's profile, the trial has heard.

Oland told police he was wearing a navy blazer when he went to visit his father on the night in question, but security video and witness testimony showed he was wearing a brown jacket.

Walsh said some of the issues the jurors might want to consider include thesize and extent of the staining, thelocation of the staining, theDNA results, and other possible explanations for the findings.

Olandtestified his father sometimes had blood on him because he chewed his cuticles and scratched scabs on his scalp. The court has also heard the victim was a close talker, who would often lean in and touch people on the arm or back as he spoke to them.