William Sandeson arrives at his preliminary hearing at provincial court in Halifax on Feb. 23, 2016.Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press
A legal battle is brewing in Nova Scotia over access to bitcoin owned by an ex-medical student recently convicted of fatally shooting a fellow student during a drug deal.
The lawyer who represents the victim’s family says the cryptocurrency could be worth more than $200,000.
Last Saturday, a jury declared William Sandeson guilty of second-degree murder in the 2015 death of Taylor Samson, a 22-year-old physics student at Dalhousie University in Halifax.
Before his six-week trial began, Sandeson applied to the court to have his Dell laptop returned to him while he was in custody awaiting a second trial – he was convicted of first-degree murder after the first trial, but the verdict was overturned on appeal.
In October 2022, Sandeson told the court his bitcoin account was worth between $8,000 and $10,000.
James Goodwin, a lawyer who represents Samson’s family, says the court eventually approved Sandeson’s request for the laptop, but Goodwin was granted an interim injunction blocking the move in December 2022 – and the court will revisit the issue in May.
Samson’s mother, Linda Boutilier, and her other son, Connor Samson, have filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against Sandeson.
Goodwin says his clients are claiming special and general damages, and he says they want to make sure Sandeson’s cryptocurrency remains available to the court if the family wins the civil lawsuit.