The death of Richard Oland occurred on July 7, 2011, when 69-year-old Canadian businessman Richard Oland, previously a vice-president with Moosehead Brewery, was bludgeoned to death in his office on Canterbury Street in Saint John, New Brunswick. Oland's son, Dennis Oland, came under suspicion for the killing and was charged with second-degree murder.
Dennis' first trial, the longest and most expensive trial in the history of Saint John, ended with his conviction on December 19, 2015. Throughout the high-profile court case, intimate details about the private lives of the entire Oland family were revealed.
Dennis Oland was sentenced to life in prison, with a possibility of parole in ten years, as recommended by the jury. His lawyers immediately began the appeals process, seeking the appellate judges to either overturn the guilty verdict, order a new trial, or enter a full acquittal. The appeal was successful, and Dennis' conviction was overturned on October 24, 2016. On July 19, 2019, he was found not guilty on retrial.
Background
Richard Oland was the second-born son to Philip Oland, chairman and CEO of Moosehead Breweries, and Mary Oland. Richard and his older brother Derek were born and reared in Rothesay, New Brunswick, a suburb of Saint John. Several families living in Rothesay, such as the Olands, the Irvings and the Crosbys, are considered "old money", claiming some of Canada's highest incomes per capita. Richard attended Rothesay Collegiate School, Regiopolis College, and the University of New Brunswick, obtaining a certificate of brewing technology. Richard wed Constance "Connie" Connell in 1965, and fathered three children: Elizabeth, Jacqueline, and Dennis. He was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome by a clinical psychologist friend of his.
By 1980, Richard, then a vice-president of Moosehead Breweries, vied with Derek for leadership of the company in a public and legal feud. Their father Philip decided to select Derek to succeed him, resulting in Richard leaving the company in 1981. Starting from scratch, Richard found a niche in the Saint John business community with his development of three major enterprises: Kinghurst Estates Limited, Brookville Transport Limited, and the investment firm Far End Corporation. Richard became an accomplished businessman, amassing many awards and a fortune of nearly CA$37 million. Oland was also in charge of organizing the 1985 Canada Summer Games.
Richard made Far End Corporation's premises his primary office space. Located at 52 Canterbury Street in the historic Uptown district of Saint John, the second-floor office space was rented from building owner John Ainsworth. Ainsworth operated his own business, Printing Plus, from the first floor of the building, and rented out the third floor to local bands to practice after office hours ended for the day.
Crime scene
On the morning of July 7, 2011, the body of Richard Oland was discovered lying face down in a pool of blood in his office by his personal assistant, Maureen Adamson. Sgt. Mark Smith of the Saint John Police Force testified that Richard's office was "one of the bloodiest crime scenes of his career, with the most blows to a victim." forensic pathologist Dr. Ather Naseemuddin counted 45 wounds to Richard's hands, neck, and head, during autopsy. Six of these wounds were found on Richard's hands, likely due to Richard trying to protect himself from his attacker. These defensive wounds led to over thirty hair and fibre exhibits to be seized at autopsy for forensic examination, including three hairs found inside Richard's hands and tissue samples from under Richard's fingernails. The hairs could not be tested for DNA as they were lacking a root, and only Richard's DNA was found underneath his fingernails.
The attack continued after Richard was defenseless on the floor. His skull had suffered catastrophic damage; the bones of his eyesockets were "like a cracked egg shell", possibly from him falling face-first into the floor, and a concave area spanning 10 cm in length, 7 cm across, and 2 cm deep was discovered at autopsy. Portions of brain matter were found on Richard's back.