Supreme Court decision on Dennis Oland murder case expected Thursday - Action News
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New Brunswick

Supreme Court decision on Dennis Oland murder case expected Thursday

Dennis Oland will find out on Thursday whether the country's highest court will review the overturning of his murder conviction in his father's death, or if the case will proceed to a new trial in New Brunswick.

Country's highest court will rule on whether it will review overturning of conviction in 2011 death of father

Dennis Oland, who served about 10 months in prison, has been free on bail since last Oct. 25, pending his new trial. (Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

Dennis Olandwill find out Thursday whether the country's highest court will reviewhis second-degreemurder casein the 2011 bludgeoning death of his father, multimillionaire RichardOland.

The Supreme Court of Canada will deliver its decision at 10:45 a.m. AT, according to an advisory issued on Monday.

The Crown is seeking to have the jury's guilty verdict reinstated, whileOland'sdefence is seekingan acquittal instead of theretrialordered by the New Brunswick Court of Appeal when it quashed his conviction last fall.

If the top court agrees to hear the matter, a hearing will be scheduled. If it denies the applications, a date for Oland'snew trialwill be set.

The Supreme Courtreceives about 600 applications for leave to appealeach year. Of those, only about 80 are granted.

A three-justice panel consisting of Justices Michael Moldaver, Suzanne Cot and Malcolm Rowe have been considering the applications from the Crown and defence since June 12.

Oland, 49, remainsfree on bailunder conditions pending a new trial.

Richard Oland, 69, was found dead in his Saint John office on July 7, 2011. (Canadian Yachting Association)
The Supreme Court sided with hisdefence lawyers in March, ruling the New Brunswick Court of Appeal had wrongly deniedOlandbail while he waited to appeal his conviction.

Oland was convicted in December 2015 and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for at least 10 years.

He served about 10 months before the New Brunswick Court of Appeal overturned his conviction, citing an error in the trial judge's instructions to the jury.

Thebody of Richard Oland, 69, was discovered lying facedown in a pool of blood in hisoffice on July 7, 2011. He had suffered 45 blows to his head,neck and hands. No weapon was ever found.

His son was the last known person to see him alive, during a visit tothe elderOland'soffice the night before.

Dennis Oland's extended family has maintained his innocence from the beginning.