Judge Orders Bitcoin Wallet Returned to Family of Convicted Canadian Killer

A Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge has ruled that convicted killer William Sandeson is to be granted back a laptop containing a Bitcoin wallet, valued at anywhere from $8,000 to over $200,000. This decision was made by Justice John Bodurtha after finding the Crown failed to prove the cryptocurrency was linked to the 2015 murder of Taylor Samson.

Sandeson, who is currently serving a life sentence for the second-degree murder in Quebec, had filed a notice of motion in April seeking the return of the seized items. However, the judge ruled that the $5,000 in cash seized from his apartment will not be returned, as it was connected to the offence. The Bitcoin wallet had previously been the center of a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Samson's family, with estimates of its current worth ranging from $8,000 to more than $200,000.

However, Justice Bodurtha determined that the Crown did not meet its burden in proving a connection between the Bitcoin and Samson's murder, stating that "there was no evidence that the respondent actually intended to use it in the transaction."