Duffel bag tested positive for victim's blood, jury told as Sandeson's trial enters 6th week

A police officer in charge of seizing exhibitsin the death of a Halifax university student testified Tuesday that blood belonging to the victim, Taylor Samson, was found on some of the evidence.

Det.Const. JamesWassonwas the exhibitco-ordinatorfor theinvestigation whichstarted after Samson disappeared in August 2015.

William Sandeson, a fellow Dalhousie University student, is charged with first-degree murder in Samson's death. His judge and jury trial is now in its sixth week in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax.

The prosecutionalleges Samson was killed during a drug deal. His body has never been found.

Stain testedpositive forSamson's blood

Wassonlooked after exhibits police seized fromthe accused's apartment in south-end Halifax and from the Sandeson family farm in Lower Truro, N.S.

Theexhibits have already been introduced as evidence at Sandeson's trial.

Wassonwas alsoresponsible for sending off exhibit material for testing, including blood swabs taken from a handgun and a large black duffel bag police seized from the farm.

He testified Tuesday there was a large red stain inside the bag thattested positive for Samson's blood. Samson's blood was also found on a tarp seized at the Sandeson farm.

Axe, sword, knives tested

The court heardthe shoulder strap on the duffel bag appeared to have been torn away. Wassonsaid there was soil on the bottom of the bag where it looked like it had been dragged.

He said the soil was sent away for specialized testing at a university in Ireland in the hopes they could pin down where the bag had been,but those tests were inconclusive.

Wassonalso said an axe, swords and knives seized fromSandeson's apartment were tested in case any of them had been used to cut up a body. He said those tests came back negative.

The CBC's Blair Rhodes live bloggedfrom court.