HALIFAX — The case of a 22-year-old man charged in the death of a fellow student at Dalhousie University in Halifax will return to court next month.
William Sandeson, who faces a charge of first-degree murder, was represented by his lawyer and did not appear in provincial court Thursday.
Defence attorney Eugene Tan told the court he had just received evidence disclosure from the Crown and needs time to study the information.
The matter was adjourned until Oct. 23, and Sandeson will seek bail in hearings on Oct. 21 and Oct. 22.
Sandeson was charged on Aug. 20, four days after Taylor Samson was reported missing in Halifax.
Samson's body has not been found.
Tan said he expects a preliminary inquiry would take about two weeks to complete, though dates for that have not yet been set.
Outside court he said the disclosure he received was redacted, with the names of witnesses blacked out. He said it's an unusual move that he didn't see any reason for, because his client doesn't have a criminal record.
He said there are two reasons for names to be redacted.
"One is because it's irrelevant, that's certainly not the case here," said Tan. "And two is that it's privileged and again I don't see that's the case."
Crown attorney Susan MacKay said the blacking out of witness names was simply a mistake that was the result of a miscommunication between herself and police.
MacKay said she had only meant that personal information such as addresses and phone numbers should be redacted and that Tan would be getting the names in the documents.
"It was never intended that he would not be provided the names of the witnesses involved," she said.
It's the second issue Tan has had when it comes to evidence in the case.
Earlier this month he said his ability to defend Sandeson had been hampered because the apartment that is the alleged crime scene had been partially renovated before he had a chance to inspect it.
Tan said Thursday that police had since provided him with some of the original forensic evidence and a videotape which he is yet to review.
"That question is still outstanding," he said. "I may be renewing that concern, but at this point it's difficult for me to say."
