Truth and Honour: The Oland Family Murder Case that Shocked Canada

by Greg Marquis

Updated and expanded edition of national bestseller detailing the high-profile murder of Saint John businessman Richard Oland and the trial of his son Dennis Oland

Truth and Honour explores the 2011 murder of Saint John businessman Richard Oland, of the prominent family that owns Moosehead Breweries, the ensuing police investigation and the arrest, trial, and conviction of the victim's son Dennis Oland for second-degree murder.

Oland's trial would be the most publicized in New Brunswick history. What the trial judge called "a family tragedy of Shakespearian proportions," this real-life murder mystery included adultery, family dysfunction, largely circumstantial evidence, allegations of police incompetence, a high-powered legal defence, and a verdict that shocked the community.

Today, the Oland family maintains Dennis Oland's innocence. Author Greg Marquis, a professor of Canadian history at the University of New Brunswick Saint John, leads readers through the case, from the discovery of the crime to the conviction and sentencing of the defendant. Offering multiple perspectives, Truth and Honour explores this question: was Dennis Oland responsible for the death of his father?

This updated edition features a new chapter following Dennis's imprisonment and successful 2016 appeal, his subsequent retrial, and controversial acquittal in July 2019.

344 pages, Paperback

Published October 31, 2019

Reviews

[Kinga U · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight into a criminal case that shocked eastern Canada.

[Colleen Sweeney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dense reading… factual and an interesting case by too much like lawyer homework so lost my interest a number of times