Son Professes Innocence in Beer Magnate's Grisly Murder

Dennis Oland has been charged in vicious attack on his father
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 4, 2015 5:06 PM CST
Defense Rests in Canadian Beer Magnate's Grisly Murder
Dennis Oland is charged with murder in the death of his father Richard Oland, who was found dead in 2011. His defense came to a rest Thursday.   (Andrew Vaughan /The Canadian Press via AP)

The body of Richard Oland—the sixth generation of Canada's oldest beer dynasty—was found on the floor of his office with nearly four dozen wounds in 2011, the CBC reports. According to Vice, it appeared someone had used a hammer to "break apart the bones in his face," and there was so much blood it seeped through three layers of flooring into an office below. The defense for the beer magnate's 47-year-old son Dennis—who has been charged with his murder—rested its case this week, the CBC reports. Money is suspected to have played a part in the killing. According to Vice, Dennis was hundreds of thousands in debt and owed more than $500,000 to his millionaire father alone. After Richard's death, Dennis inherited leadership positions in three companies and a $150,000 payout.

The CBC reports Dennis continued to maintain his innocence during testimony this week while acknowledging discrepancies between his testimony and a 2011 police statement. For example, Dennis—who was the last person to see his father alive—originally told police he was wearing a different jacket than he was when he saw Richard the day before his body was found. The jacket he was actually wearing had three bloodstains on it matching Richard's DNA. He blames the differences on shock and nerves during his interview with police. The Oland family, which founded Moosehead Breweries, has rallied around Dennis and says he is innocent. Jurors are scheduled to reconvene on Dec. 14 to decide that for themselves. (Money was also suspected when this US man was charged with murdering his missing parents.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X