A murder, a missing body, and a sensational trial that gripped Nova Scotia. Will Sandeson seemed like a model son. A member of the Dalhousie University track and field team, he was about to start classes at Dalhousie’s medical school. He worked at a group home for adults with disabilities. He came from a good family. “There’s times for whatever reason that things don’t go quite as planned,” a Halifax police officer told Sandeson shortly after he was arrested for the first-degree murder of Taylor Samson, who also, on the surface, seemed like a model son. Samson lived in a fraternity house near Dalhousie, and when the six-foot-five physics student disappeared without a trace, the focus eventually turned to Sandeson. Sandeson’s trial, blown open by a private investigator accused of switching sides, exposed a dangerous world of drugs, ambition, and misplaced loyalties. Through interviews with friends and relatives, as well as transcripts, award-winning journalist Kayla Hounsell tells the full story of two young men who appeared destined for bright futures. First Degree includes previously unpublished photos and details never made public until now.

Kayla Hounsell is an award-winning journalist, recognized for feature writing, diversity reporting, and investigative journalism. She is the CBC's National Reporter for the Maritime provinces. Based in Halifax, and originally from Newfoundland, she has worked all over Canada, in multiple African countries and the United Kingdom. A graduate of Carleton University's School of Journalism, she has also taught journalism at the University of King's College. Her first book, First Degree, was a national bestseller.

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