In the truck, he said there was a blue Adidas gym bag. While reviewing photos with the Crown, he told the trial there was a black duffel bag inside it containing orange towels.Halifax murder trial hears testimony from William Sandeson’s brother
A shower curtain and rings were also seized. The trial has already heard that similar items were missing from William Sandeson’s apartment washroom.Neilsen then described searching a black Mazda Protege5 with a permit in William Sandeson’s name. He said officers discovered fingerprints on the vehicle, but did not say to whom they belonged.
He told the jury he used a chemical called Bluestar that would illuminate if it detected the presence of blood, among other substances.Asked by the Crown if the Bluestar results piqued his interest, Neilsen said “absolutely.” “Bluestar is a search tool, we use it to search for blood, so when we get a positive result, that would tell us that this is something we want to pay further attention to,” he told the trial.
Each area was swabbed and tested using a Hemostick, he said. All but one area “came back with a very weak positive result,” with the exception of one that was “a very strong hit,” he said.A verdict from a trial in 2017 was overturned on appeal and this second trial was ordered in 2020.