Judge finds Dennis Oland not guilty of murder in multi-millionaire father’s death

SAINT JOHN – Dennis Oland has been found not guilty of second-degree murder in the 2011 bludgeoning death of his multi-millionaire father, Richard.

Justice Terrence Morrison of the New Brunswick Court of Queen’s Bench delivered his decision this morning to a packed courtroom in Saint John, N.B.

Dennis Oland hugged his defence team after the verdict was read, and there were tears of joy from his family members.

WATCH: Defence reacts after not guilty verdict for Dennis Oland 

READ MORE: Oland to plead not guilty, finally face retrial for father’s murder

Richard Oland died after being struck 45 times with a hammer-like weapon in July 2011, leaving his skull cracked in several places.

The Crown had argued the younger Oland’s financial problems provided a motive for the crime.

The defence had countered that the Crown’s case was based on circumstantial evidence, with pieces that didn’t add up.

Oland, 51, was convicted of murder by a jury in 2015, but the verdict was set aside on appeal and a new trial was ordered. The second trial was heard by judge alone.