David Milgaard: Wrongfully Convicted

1969, Milgaard, along with two friends, Ron Wilson and Nichol John, decided on a whim to take a road trip across the Canadian prairies, a trip which involved some drug use and petty theft. Ron Wilson would later testify against Milgaard, claiming, among other things, that Milgaard had stolen a flashlight from a grain elevator outside Aylesbury, Saskatchewan.
While the friends were in Saskatoon, a 20-year-old nursing student, Gail Miller, was found dead on a snowbank. At the time Milgaard and his friends were stopping to pick up a casual friend, Albert Cadrain, whose family was renting out their basement to Larry Fisher, an ex-con who would later be found guilty of the crime.

Tipped off by Cadrain, who admitted he was mostly interested in the CAD $2,000 reward for information, British Columbia police arrested Milgaard in May 1969 and sent him back to Saskatchewan where he was charged with Miller's murder. Cadrain testified that he had seen Milgaard return the night of Miller's murder in blood-stained clothing, His grip on reality however was less than secure, and he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital several months later after claiming he was the Son of God.

Both Ron and Nichol were also called to testify against him. They had originally told police that they had been with Milgaard the entire day and that they believed him to be innocent, but they changed their stories for the court. Ron later recanted his testimony claiming that he had been told he was personally under suspicion and wanted to alleviate the pressure on himself.

Milgaard was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison on January 31, 1970, exactly a year after Miller's murder.

Linda Fisher, ex-wife of Gail's murderer Larry Fisher, visited the Saskatoon police department in 1980. Linda told the police that she believed Larry had likely killed Gail. The Saskatoon Police Department did not follow up on Linda's statement.[citation needed] The inquiry report released by Justice MacCallum states that “[w]hile MacCallum noted that Milgaard's family members mounted a formidable public awareness campaign, their efforts also created tension and resentment within the police and the Crown's office.”[2] This is seen by some as an excuse for the failure of the Saskatoon police to investigate Larry Fisher.

Larry Fisher lived a few doors down from where Gail Miller was raped and murdered, yet at the time was not seriously considered as a suspect. Fisher was arrested, July 25, 1997 in Calgary. He was convicted November 22, 1999, and sentenced on January 4, 2000,

Fisher was given a life sentence, however, due to applicable laws at the time of the crime, he will be eligible to apply for parole in 10 years, rather than the current 25, after the sentence. On September 23, 2003, the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan unanimously denied Fisher's appeal of his conviction. Prior to this conviction, Fisher had served 23 years for numerous rapes in the cities of Winnipeg (Manitoba), Saskatoon and North Battleford (Saskatchewan).