A legal dispute is developing in Nova Scotia over access to Bitcoin assets held by William Sandeson, a former medical student recently convicted of fatally shooting fellow student Taylor Samson during a drug sale. According to the lawyer representing the victim’s family, the cryptocurrency could be worth more than $200,000. Last Saturday, a jury found Sandeson guilty of second-degree murder for Samson’s death at Dalhousie University in Halifax in 2015.
Before his six-week trial started, Sandeson petitioned the court for his laptop— which was used to store his bitcoin account—to be returned. At the same time, he awaited a retrial (the verdict from his first trial was overturned on appeal). Initially, Sandeson estimated his Bitcoin account to be worth between $8k and 10k, and the court granted him the request to access the account in October 2022.
However, James Goodwin—representing Samson’s family—successfully obtained an interim injunction in December 2022 to block the move, and the case will be revisited in May.
Linda Boutilier (Samson’s mother) and her other son, Connor Samson, have reportedly filed a wrongful death civil suit against Sandeson. As part of their claim for special and general damages, Goodwin ensures that Sandeson’s cryptocurrency remains preserved for use if his clients emerge victorious in the civil lawsuit.
