The Oland Murder

In 2011, multimillionaire Richard Oland of the Moosehead Brewing family was found bludgeoned to death. His son, Dennis, quickly became the prime suspect. It is a bewildering true-crime mystery that became a public obsession.

In one of Canada’s most notorious maximum-security prisons sits Dennis Oland, serving life for the bludgeoning death of his father, multimillionaire Richard Oland, of Moosehead Brewing fame. He insists he didn’t do it. Five years after his father’s body was found, the court of appeal orders a retrial and as Dennis’ high-powered legal team begins to mount his defence, they argue that there was alleged police misconduct and a strong bias against him.

Strategizing for his retrial, Dennis and his lawyers fight to have his police interrogation tape tossed from evidence. With a guilty verdict in the first trial and almost a decade of negative publicity, the team requests a judge-alone trial to avoid facing another local jury. As Dennis walks us through his movements on the day of the murder, the defence team’s private investigators uncover never before seen evidence that suggests the police should have investigated other potential suspects.

Cell phone evidence raises questions about the Crown’s theory of the crime, and new information suggests that a character from Richard’s past should have been looked at more closely by police when identifying potential suspects. The defence team loses a veteran and gains a new legal mind as both applications to the court are lost—Dennis’ police statement will stay in evidence and he will face a jury in the second trial. It’s a devastating blow. But, after 5000 people are summonsed and a jury of 16 is selected, a shocking case of alleged police misconduct changes everything.

After a mistrial is declared and the jury is dismissed, the new trial begins with Justice Morrison adjudicating alone. Police officers are called to the stand to recount their movements in the crime scene raising concerns about the forensic evidence gathered at the scene. A new witness recounts seeing a mysterious man leaving the building the night of the murder. It is revealed that Richard Oland did not touch his computer after Dennis leaves his office and a toxicology report raises questions about the possibility that Richard went out for a drink before he was murdered. When the verdict is finally given, will justice be served?