Judge rules former med student who killed 22-year-old eligible for parole in 2030

CITYnews halifax \ By The Canadian Press

A Nova Scotia judge has ruled that a former medical student who shot and killed another student during a drug deal will be eligible for parole in about seven and a half years.

Justice Jamie Chipman ruled William Sandeson should spend at least 15 years in prison for his “reprehensible” crime.

However, since the 30-year-old has already spent seven years and eight months in jail during two trials for the murder, the judge said he can apply for conditional release in 2030.

Sandeson maintained during his jury trial that he fired his handgun at 22-year-old physics student Taylor Samson in self-defence on Aug. 15, 2015, but the jury found him guilty of second-degree murder on Feb. 18.

Sandeson said during the trial he had dumped Samson’s body — which has never been found — in a tidal river near his family’s home outside Lower Truro, N.S.

Those convicted of second-degree murder face an automatic life sentence, but a judge can set parole eligibility between 10 and 25 years.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 20, 2023.