SAINT JOHN, N.B. — A second DNA expert took the stand Wednesday at the murder trial of Dennis Oland and testified that DNA samples found on his sports jacket most likely came from blood and not saliva or perspiration.
Dennis Oland has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in the death of his father whose badly beaten body was found in his Saint John office on July 7, 2011.
Richard Oland suffered 45 blunt and sharp force injuries to his head, neck and hands.
The Crown concluded its case Wednesday with testimony from Tom Suzanski, an expert in DNA analysis who worked on the case at the RCMP lab in Ottawa. He was the last of more than 40 Crown witnesses in the trial that began 11 weeks ago.
He testified about re-testing some stains found on the jacket seized by police from Dennis Oland's home in Rothesay.
Suzanski said samples taken from the outside right sleeve, outside upper left front and bottom back of the jacket matched the profile of Richard Oland.
He described the samples as "clean samples, easily interpreted, no evidence of degradation."
Suzanski said the estimated probability of selecting an unrelated individual at random from the Canadian Caucasian population with the same profile is 1 in 20 quintillion. The court was told on Tuesday that tests done by the RCMP lab in Halifax put the odds at 1 in 510 billion.
Suzanski said he uses a different program with greater accuracy.
He said it is his opinion the DNA came from blood stains in those locations on the jacket, and said it was "rather unlikely" that the DNA came from any other sources such as saliva or perspiration.
He also said a DNA sample taken from an inside pocket seam had components that matched Dennis Oland, Richard Oland and an unknown third person.
Under cross-examination by defence lawyer Alan Gold, Suzanski said he could not say how any of the DNA got on the jacket. He said his work only allows him to determine if there is a match and calculate the frequency.
The trial has heard that Richard Oland was found face down in a pool of blood on the floor of his Canterbury Street office and that there were hundreds of blood spatter stains around him.
Dennis Oland visited his father the evening of July 6, 2011 and is the last known person to see him alive.
When he was questioned by police the next day, he said he had been wearing a navy blazer. However witnesses and security camera video shown at the trial show he was wearing a brown sports coat.
The coat was taken to be dry cleaned the following day.
The trial has been adjourned until Thursday when the judge will ask the defence if it wants to open its case.
