Criminal Law: Wrongful Convictions Flashcards
1
Q
Steven Truscott: Who was involved in the case?
A
Steven Truscott (accused), Lynn Harper (victim), Frank Donnelly (defence lawyer)
2
Q
Steven Truscott: What were the timeline of events leading to the murder of Lynn?
A
- Truscott was seen cycling through the countryside with harper, who he dropped off at a highway intersection, where he believed that she hitched a ride to her grandmother’s home
- he turned around after cycling ahead, and noticed that she was entering a chevrolet with out of province plates
3
Q
Steven Truscott: Why was he charged?
A
- police found details of his account deceptive
- prosecution’s case was based on the assertion that Harper was a cautious girl, who did not hitchhike
- mysterious abrasion on Truscott’s penis
- narrow window of death made it certain that he was with her around that time
4
Q
Steven Truscott: What was he charged with?
A
life imprisonment, 10 year parole eligibility period
5
Q
Steven Truscott: What was he found guilty of?
A
1st degree murder, rape (originally sentenced to be hanged)
6
Q
Thomas Sophonow
A
sentenced to life
- charged for the 1981 murder of 16 year old Barbara Stoppel
- unfair trial, eyewitness error
- tried 3 times due to jury hesitation, spent 4 years in prison before the convictions was overturned
- cleared through DNA evidence
7
Q
Guy Paul Morin
A
- sentenced to life
- murder of 9 year old neighbour, Christine Jessop
- flawed investigations, errors made by centre of forensic sciences, false testimony by jailhouse informants
- served 3 years
8
Q
Donald Marshall Jr
A
sentenced to life
- wrongfully convicted of stabbing a woman to death, 1971
- served 11 years
- released after Esbary was caught bragging about how good he was with knives
- acquitted 1983
9
Q
David Milgaard
A
- sentenced to life
- accused of rape and stabbing of Gail Miller, 1969
- pinned onto him by his friend
- DNA proved innocence, 1997
- served 23 years
