Nova Scotia judge orders return of convicted killer's laptop containing cryptocurrency
A Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge has ordered the return of William Sandeson's laptop, which holds an estimated $8,000 in Bitcoin, ruling the Crown failed to prove it was proceeds of crime. However, $5,000 in cash found in his apartment remains forfeited.
A Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge has ordered the return of a laptop belonging to convicted killer William Sandeson, ruling that the Crown failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the device constituted proceeds of crime. The laptop contains a bitcoin wallet estimated to be worth around $8,000.
Justice John Bodurtha issued the decision on Tuesday during a hearing where Sandeson appeared by video from a prison in Quebec. While the judge ordered the computer returned, he ruled that $5,000 in cash found concealed in a garbage can in Sandeson’s Halifax apartment was proceeds of crime and could be held by authorities.
During the initial investigation, police seized the laptop, the cash, and other items from Sandeson's apartment, which was the scene of the murder. Sandeson initially did not seek the return of his gun, which was the murder weapon, his vehicle, or cash stained with blood. He later launched legal action to recover the computer and the remaining cash.
Sandeson was convicted of second-degree murder in 2023 for the 2015 shooting death of Taylor Samson, a fellow student at Dalhousie University whose body has never been found. He is currently serving a life sentence.
Evidence presented during the proceedings showed that at the time of his arrest, Sandeson had an $80,000 balance on a line of credit co-signed by his mother, which he used for drug purchases. Crown prosecutor Carla Ball suggested Sandeson was motivated to kill because he was mired in debt and facing high medical school costs. Sandeson testified that he earned about $8,000 a month from drug dealing in the summer of 2015 and held three jobs, denying that he was under financial pressure.