Nova ScotiaSandeson was convicted of 2nd-degree murder in February 2023 in the death of Taylor Samson in 2015.Sandeson was convicted of 2nd-degree murder in February 2023 in the death of Taylor SamsonAnjuli Patil · CBC News · Posted: Dec 12, 2025 2:49 PM EST | Last Updated: 5 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.William Sandeson appeared alone before a justice of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal to argue for release on Oct. 26, 2023. (Blair Rhodes/CBC)William Sandeson’s appeal of his second-degree murder conviction in the 2015 death of Taylor Samson has been dismissed.In a decision dated Dec. 11, 2025, a three-member panel of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal said the justices were not persuaded by Sandeson’s argument that the trial judge erred.Taylor Samson was murdered in an apartment in south-end Halifax in August 2015. Sandeson was convicted of second-degree murder in February of 2023. It was his second conviction, following a succesful appeal that overturned his first. Evidence from the two trials showed that Sandeson and Samson met at Sandeson’s apartment for a drug deal. Sandeson had agreed to buy nine kilograms of marijuana for $40,000, but he instead shot Samson. Samson’s body has never been found.Sandeson was ordered to serve a minimum of 7.5 more years in prison before being eligible for parole.His appeal focused on two decisions by the original trial judge. Warrantless search deemed reasonableOne was on the warrantless search of his apartment on Aug. 18, 2015, two days after Samson was reported missing.The panel noted police knew Samson was supposed to meet with Sandeson on Aug. 15, 2015; that Samson had a serious liver disorder requiring medication; that he had only intended to be out for a short period of time; and that they were meeting to complete a drug transaction. By Aug. 18, 2015, police concluded they had reasonable grounds for a warrantless search of Sandeson’s apartment out of concern for Samson’s health.The panel agreed with the trial judge and said police “had reasonable grounds to suspect that entry into the apartment was necessary to prevent imminent bodily harm to Mr. Samson.”Private detective provided information to policeThe other point Sandeson’s appeal focused on had to do with information obtained by a private detective hired by his legal team.The private investigator discovered that two men who were across the hall from Sandeson’s apartment the night Samson was killed changed their stories. Those men initially told the police they didn’t see or hear anything but in later police interviews acknowledged they heard a gunshot and saw a body slumped over a kitchen table in Sandeson’s apartment.The second police interviews came after the private detective told investigators the men had changed their stories. Sandeson had argued that the way police learned of that evidence, and the fact they didn’t immediately alert Sandeson’s legal team, was wrong. On this point, the panel found the trial judge “firmly grounded his decision in the relevant legal principles and evidence. It discloses no injustice. His balancing analysis is entitled to deference, as is his conclusion, that while the police should never have engaged with [the detective hired by Sandeson’s legal team], this was not one of the clearest of cases that warranted the ultimate remedy.” MORE TOP STORIES
Court denies William Sandeson’s appeal of murder conviction
