A DNA typing expert testifying at the second-degree murder trial of Dennis Oland that there were three areas confirmed for blood on the brown jacket seized from Dennis Oland’s home where the DNA profile matched that of his father, Richard Oland.
Former reporting scientist for the RCMP laboratory in Halifax Joy Kearsey testifying the blood found on the jacket was on the outside right sleeve, the upper left chest area and the back bottom centre near the hem which was 0.5cm by 0.5cm according to Kearsey. The brown jacket was seized from Dennis Oland’s home on July 14, 2011, one week after Richard Oland’s body was discovered face down in a pool of blood in his investment firm office at 52 Canterbury Street.
Kearsey saying that for those three areas there are three things that could explain it, 1.) that the DNA profile came from the blood, 2.) that the blood could be animal blood however there’s no indication of animal DNA in any of the samples, or 3.) that the blood stain is a human blood stain but the DNA profile obtained is not coming from the blood stain but coming from another source of DNA that’s present.
Kearsey says it’s probabiy more likely the DNA came from blood than another source.
Defence lawyer Alan Gold cross-examining Kearsey, who confirms that she can’t tell the age of DNA or a blood stain. Gold saying, so it’s fair to say that when it comes to those three areas on the jacket, for all you know the stain and DNA could have been on there for weeks or months with Kearsey replying, “there’s no way to know.”
Kearsey finishing her testimony at the Dennis Oland trial which resumes on Wednesday morning at 9:30 at the Saint John Law Courts.
CHSJ News reporter Laura Lyall is covering the Dennis Oland trial and is live-tweeting from the courtroom. You can follow along on the CHSJ News Twitter page or the Wave News Twitter page.
