Creator Commentary: Dennis Oland [+ Update]

Full Dark, No Stars - and I especially am a big fan of Fair Extension, which is a shorter nasty one. Have since also read Different Seasons, Pet Sematary, The Institute, The Stand, You Like It Darker and Skeleton Crew so I’ve been on a bit of a kick! I’ll get to Fire Starter and Green Mile eventually. I just wish I wasn’t so familiar with the movie of the latter

Matt Orchard

Re the monday morning podcast- you should definitely revisit it! I was never a regular listener but I heard some episodes and clips circa 2013 and I enjoyed it. Earlier this year I binged a bunch of newer episodes, and I love it. It’s still mostly just Bill talking, but you’re right that his kids have changed it, just indirectly. He’s MUCH less angry and judgmental, and more wise. And that’s not a knock on the old him, it’s just a fact that he often was quite angry and judgmental in the past. Now he is vastly less of that, but still just as hilarious and insightful. Highly recommend it. Also, Stephen King is phenomenal. Which novellas did you read? I think you mentioned the title of the collection but I missed it. My favorite full books of his are The Green Mile and Firestarter. Both very superior to the film versions. Especially Firestarter, that movie was an absolute travesty.

Kite 9d3

Two things: Firstly, I’m very interested to hear your expanded thoughts on the west Memphis three whenever you get around to that commentary (or addendum like you did with jonbenet), because you keep saying you’re pretty sure they did it - really speaks to your persuasive abilities, because my girlfriend (who only ever heard about the west Memphis three from your video) came away from it thinking the three were innocent! Secondly, in regards to Oland (and others), whenever someone changes their story without a very good reason (I.e. something better than “oh I guess I forgot about that”), that drags me over the “reasonable doubt” line pretty much every time.

SpergGurtDirt

Always interesting to hear from people who understand how money works!!

Matt Orchard

Regarding the gift vs loan issue, the most likely reason Richard provided his support via a loan instead of a gift is likely some combination of legal and tax considerations oppose to Richard debating if he should help his kid (granted Richard's main motive for the loan was likely keeping the family farm in the Oland name oppose to throwing his son a lifeline out of parental concern). While I am not well versed in New Brunswick/Canadian debt and tax law wrt to gifts to adult children, some readily apparent considerations on this point is that by supporting Dennis through a loan Richard had control over the use of the funds via the underlying credit/loan agreement that would have been entered into (i.e., the money would be spent for the farm and not Dennis' other debt, and if used for other purposes would be a breach), Richard could "perfect" his loan in relation to the farm which would have notable implications in the event of Dennis undergoing a bankruptcy or consumer proposal since Richard could have higher priority to those funds when compared to other creditors especially those that had unsecured interests (such an insolvency event not being an unreasonable concern given Dennis' other debts), etc. If Richard wanted to just gift the money to Dennis later, he could have forgiven the loan at any time (which is likely is what he intended to do at some point - if not until he died via his will). The "interest-only" part of the loan was almost certainly in place to make sure courts (or tax collectors) didn't later characterize the loan to be gift and effectively void the planning the Richard (or his business lawyers/accountants) put in place. That context doesn't really go to proving whether or not Dennis is more or less guilty. Even if Dennis understood the rationale of why the money was being giving to him via a loan, dealing with that loan in addition to other his debts would have been extremely burdensome and if he was under the impression that it would be forgiven via Richard's will - the thought of killing Richard could be tempting (especially when presented with circumstances similar to the night of Richard's murder). It also suggests that Richard only was supporting Dennis b/c of the farm rather than out of parental affection for his child, so additional funding was unlikely to be provided and speaks to the affection Richard had for Dennis. It also provides additional ways Richard could have berated his son (e.g., on the night of question Dennis asks for loan to be forgiven, at which point Richard berates him and insults for not understanding why the gift was made as a loan and how he should be grateful he is doing that).

Nathan Little

Also definitely beat his wife! Probably a POS.

Virginia

It is reasonable that the elder Oland wouldn't just bail out his son. He didn't amass his wealth by being generous. And his son was probably a POS. I can say this because he very likely killed his father, and that's, generally, a POS thing to do. Also, love the shout out to Casa Bonita! It was my childhood Disneyland. Went last summer with my nephews and Matt and Trey really did an amazing job. Go if you can!

Big Suz

I don’t think it matters so much whether we think it’s reasonable that Dennis Oland would feel resentful towards his father for holding that debt over him. Considering the relationship it seems they had, it seems likely that it would have provoked Oland’s anger as another way his father held power over him.

Amy Culham

I'm pretty sure it's similar to Canada in most "western" countries. You don't have to speak to police without a lawyer (or with one for that matter), and the prosecution can't hold that against you in court...but the police can keep speaking to you as much as they like...within reason, I mean there will be laws around sleep deprivation and so on. So it's quite similar, but the big difference is the interrogation doesn't have to actually end. You have rights over your mouth, but nothing else.

Matt Orchard

Yeah exactly. It would be fine if it was a different sort of format...but it's not, so it's not. I need to work on a secondary medium so I can start making some of that sweet, sweet sponsor money lol.

Matt Orchard

You’re reasoning on not putting ads in the middle of a video is spot on. I stopped watching a creator because the entire vibe of their narration was ruined by the ad interruption. It was like watching a movie and having the star of the film stop and look at the camera and try to sell you something.

Gigi

Found the section on Canadian versus American right to an attorney interesting. Left me with a question though. The American Supreme Court ruled that it has to be a definite invoking of the right. Things like, I probably should get a lawyer, any equivocating terms aren't enough to stop questions. You need a concrete, I want a lawyer etc for it to count. What's this like elsewhere?

PityTheHateful

Just to put my two cents in, I would say Richard Oland's treatment of his son regarding his financial situation really does depend. Problem is, being a parent isn't just about giving them the best chance you can, it's also about preparing your children for the big bad world. As an example, I have three children, the oldest of which is 18. He works, and while we are in a very comfortable financial position (no where near Richards wealth), we still charge him rent. This is done so he can learn to balance his account , and not just waste his money. My wife and I aren't actually spending this money, we are putting it in a savings account for him when he moves out to give him a start on a mortgage or rent. Although I will say, if I was worth £20m, and one of my kids got themselves in that situation, I would just fix it for them. I suppose the question is, how many times had Richard bailed Dennis out? Sometimes, the best way to help your kids, is not to always come to their rescue.

Critical Wranker

Interesting question! I actually live in Sydney Australia as of a couple years ago. But yes, I do have to do my own taxes. Though I use an accountant because I'm terrible with that stuff.

Matt Orchard

Emma Sherriff

On the debt and divorce stuff. Assuming all of us have enough money to outright buy the house without it impacting daily outgoings: I wouldn't expect anything from family - I'm an adult, I made my bed now I can lie in it, and I wouldn't expect them to ask for my help. If I had kids, it would depend on how often this happens. First time do it, second time you are paying me back (at least something), third time nope. Though for me with my parents it would still be grating to know they could have helped and made the problems go away but didn't. So while I wouldn't expect the help I would be hurt if it wasn't offered. What's interesting to me about the mortgage on the house, it is supposedly a house the family has had for years, and has sentimental value to the entire family. Which would suggest Dennis has been taking out new loans on it and is bad with money, so dad is going to be pissed. So I see this situation as you have made bad choices, I am punishing you, there are consequences for your actions. From what Dennis and others have said about Richard's character he would probably have made it clear that this was a punishment (if it was). Would be interesting to know what the history of bailing out Dennis, Richard had. Of course, what you're worth and what you have to hand is different, if all Richard's money is in the business and his quality of life is going suffer by helping Dennis then asking for it being paid back is fair.

TinTicket

It is interesting how you critique your voice over. As someone who likes long videos on so I can settle down and do crochet, or gaming, or looking at things I can't afford online, the voice is one of the most important things on a video. Your delivery, use of your tone, etc is (to me) excellent. Though maybe unfairly, it takes me about 10 seconds to decide whether to nope out on a voice or not.

TinTicket

My family is more like yours, we help each other and let it go as much as we are financially able. I will say I am happy not to be paying a family member rent anymore, because towards the end I found out that, although they were charging less than market rent, they were charging more than the mortgage note, but never setting aside for repairs, leading us to living in a house with a leaking roof (BADLY leaking) and termites, and lead paint lol. So idk I still feel like it was kind of shitty. I got a "good deal" but if we weren't related all of that would have been grounds for legal action... Edit: also, I expected the Sarah Boone case would be delayed lol. There's a lot of body cam and court footage AND letters...

Janissa Rose

Asking the money back is completely reasonable of course, but you could at least give him a break on the interest, no?

Jan Piet

I did see the JBR Netflix thing. It was basically just a PR piece for John Ramsey, but oh well.  Same guy who made the Paradise Lost docos, mind you! I don't actually hold them in high regard, especially 2 and 3. A brief explainer on why I believe the three to be guilty in comments below.

Matt Orchard

Well there's not much to say beyond that really, is there! But I'm glad you liked the little twist at the end. I too thought the play of withholding that tidbit til the very end was an effective play :)

Matt Orchard

Hearing about the witnesses who observed Oland at the wharf has me curious: I doubt there's enough details to speculate about what was in the bag he had. Assuming he's guilty, there'd be the phone. Maybe the murder weapon? and a poncho or whatever blood-soaked clothes he had? It's not clear to me why he'd want to remove the phone anyways (again on the presumption of guilt). Also: surprised you didn't say much about the twist ending, which I thought was a really effective card to hide until the last few seconds: Dennis later faced a bizarrely violent allegation of domestic abuse. Of course that has no evidentiary weight on his innocence regarding the father's death, but it sure does flag him as someone capable of the sort of violence this murder necessitated.

Jonathan Gill

I was surprised by that as well. Off the top of my head, I'd guess it's because of how accurate the one guy's description was of the broken bottle. But I didn't come away thinking that was a clear-cut case by any stretch.

Jonathan Gill

Tbh yeah the father had a lot of money but half a million is still a decent chunk of 37 million, especially if it’s not a give and take relationship, my family is not at the poverty line but no where near 37 million, and me and my parents still alternate payment responsibilities on take always, I just think if i was just taking and taking and taking, ied expect my dad to want some money back at least, also the father here probably had money if different places not just sitting in the bank so ied say he probably drew that money from somewhere, I can’t really blame him from wanting it back

Gekkotor

As someone who plays D&D, even 95% means that it only takes a roll of a 1 (which happens a LOT) for someone to lose their life unfairly. That doesn't strike me as beyond a reasonable doubt at all, either. One should be 99% sure, especially for a murder charge, at least.

Captain Panda

I know you were just saying a number but 92% is not nearly enough to be beyond a reasonable doubt in my opinion. That would mean 8/100 convicted murders are wrongfully imprisoned for decades of their life if not dying in prison. Beyond a reasonable doubt for me would be closer to a 1 in a 1000 chance they didn't do it. Still think Denis Oland isn't too far off that though given how many coincidences need to align for it to look this bad for him while being innocent... I could've gone either way as a jury member on this one.

Jan Piet

Wait, the West Memphis Three is one you would say is MORE likely they were guilty than Dennis Oland? Please tell me I misheard that. If I didn't, can you expound upon that? Because when I look at the West Memphis Three I don't even think they are more probably than not to have done it, I think it's outright EXTREMELY unlikely. What evidence do you have that I'm missing on that one??

Captain Panda

As for the "Interest only mortgage" question you posed around 17:50, Dennis had good reason to be pissed about that. Interest only loans/mortgages mean for a span of time, all you pay on the mortgage is interest. If what Dennis says in the interview is to be believed, that means he was paying interest to his father in the ballpark of 4-figures a month. Interest only periods don't contribute at all to your actual amount OWED, meaning Dennis was spending what little money he had to his father who didn't need it, and he wasn't even paying off his actual debt. Essentially, it's a smaller monthly payment for a span of time before your actual monthly payments begin, whether that's in a span of months or years. Richard was a very wealthy man. Having interest on a loan to his son is already greedy enough, but collecting monthly interest that didn't actually contribute to Dennis's total amount owed is ghoulish in my opinion. Absolutely zero fatherly love there. Richard stood to profit from this bailout. In his eyes, the lower monthly payments were probably meant for Dennis to land on his feet and start making enough money to handle the principal amount. None of this is meant to lean one way or the other on Dennis's guilt or innocence. It's simply pointing to an extremely screwed up financial situation Richard put his son in, and apparently expected him to be grateful. I think there are two ways to view Dennis's softer opinion of his father. As the prime suspect, I think it's fair to say Dennis would want to avoid publicly trashing his father for any reason regardless of his guilt. Anything negative he said about Richard could and would be used against him by the state, even if he didn't kill the man. With that in mind, the "He wasn't perfect, but he was my dad" approach is respectable and has no real bearing on his innocence or guilt either way. It's the only possible stance he could take regardless.

Simply Snaps

"The Night Of" is amazing. Shame Gandolfini died.

Rob

Man I haven't watched this one in a long time. Instang classic

Rob

Thanks for update! Did you consider reaching out to Samsonite for an integrated ad read for the Sarah Boone video? Jokes aside, I'm looking forward to your take on it. I did have a few queries about the WM3 because I went and watched all the Paradise Lost videos and I'm still a bit confused, but I suppose it's like the JBR case, we'll never definitively know... speaking of which, did you see the Netflix documentary? Okay that's enough rambling, give Wexler a chin rub from me, he's a very good boy.

Alan Holding