A Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge has ordered that a laptop containing a bitcoin wallet be returned to the family of William Sandeson, who is serving a life sentence for the 2015 killing of fellow student Taylor Samson, Decrypt reported, citing Global News.
Justice John Bodurtha ruled on Tuesday that prosecutors had not proved the cryptocurrency was linked to the crime. “The Crown has not met its burden to demonstrate the cryptocurrency was used as part of the drug transaction, proceeds of crime, or otherwise tainted by criminality,” he said, calling its possible use in the deal “hypothetical.” By contrast, about C$5,000 in seized cash was found to be offence-related property and will not be returned.
Sandeson filed the motion in April to recover personal items seized when police searched his apartment after his 2015 arrest. He has said the bitcoin was worth C$8,000 to C$10,000. A lawyer for Samson’s family, which is pursuing a separate wrongful death lawsuit centered on the cryptocurrency, said it could now be worth more than C$200,000. Global News did not report how much bitcoin the wallet holds.
Sandeson was convicted of first-degree murder in 2017, but the verdict was overturned on appeal in 2020. At a 2023 retrial, he admitted shooting Samson but claimed self-defense, and a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder. He will be eligible for parole in 2030. The ruling shows that seized crypto can be returned when prosecutors cannot tie it to a crime.
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Sources:
Decrypt: Judge orders Bitcoin wallet returned to family of convicted Canadian killer
Global News: Judge orders bitcoin laptop returned to convicted killer
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