Steven Truscott: Miscarriage of Justice
Courtney White
Mrs. Schweitzer
CLU 3M
December 8 2013
Steven Truscott: Miscarriage of Justice
“The only two people that know I am innocent, is myself and the killer.” Imagine being blamed for a crime you did not commit, and nobody would believe you no matter what you said. Steven Truscott had forty-two years of his life taken from him for being charged with a crime he did not commit. He was charged at only the age of fourteen for murdering and raping twelve year old Lynne Harper. He then became the youngest death-row inmate after one of the most famous trials in the history of Canada. Steven Truscott should never have been convicted for the murder and rape of Lynne Harper due to the fact the forensic evidence was questionable the witnesses were untrustworthy and the investigation was insufficient.
The evidence that had been used at the trial in 1959 against Steven Truscott was very questionable. Police immediately accused Steven Truscott- a boy with no criminal record or no history of violence. Steven was the last person to be seen with Lynne Harper. So therefore, according to the police logic, he must have raped and killed her. The police did not even bother checking up on local sex offenders in the area or verify if it was one of them. Clearly they did not have enough evidence in 1959 because in 2006 they found new evidence on the time of her death. In the 3 week hearing about the new evidence they stated that Lynne Harper died between 7:00pm and 7:45pm therefore, the Crown argued that if Ms. Harper died between 7:00pm and 8:00pm that Mr. Truscott was the murderer yet if she died after 8:00pm he was not. Also they found stomach contents that suggest she was killed on the night of June 9th 1959, but they also said the state of her body, the weather conditions and histology, she was killed the night of June 10th 1959. The fact that they did not include these facts in the first trial is very questionable.
A key feature that needs to be strong in a trial, are
Mrs. Schweitzer
CLU 3M
December 8 2013
Steven Truscott: Miscarriage of Justice
“The only two people that know I am innocent, is myself and the killer.” Imagine being blamed for a crime you did not commit, and nobody would believe you no matter what you said. Steven Truscott had forty-two years of his life taken from him for being charged with a crime he did not commit. He was charged at only the age of fourteen for murdering and raping twelve year old Lynne Harper. He then became the youngest death-row inmate after one of the most famous trials in the history of Canada. Steven Truscott should never have been convicted for the murder and rape of Lynne Harper due to the fact the forensic evidence was questionable the witnesses were untrustworthy and the investigation was insufficient.
The evidence that had been used at the trial in 1959 against Steven Truscott was very questionable. Police immediately accused Steven Truscott- a boy with no criminal record or no history of violence. Steven was the last person to be seen with Lynne Harper. So therefore, according to the police logic, he must have raped and killed her. The police did not even bother checking up on local sex offenders in the area or verify if it was one of them. Clearly they did not have enough evidence in 1959 because in 2006 they found new evidence on the time of her death. In the 3 week hearing about the new evidence they stated that Lynne Harper died between 7:00pm and 7:45pm therefore, the Crown argued that if Ms. Harper died between 7:00pm and 8:00pm that Mr. Truscott was the murderer yet if she died after 8:00pm he was not. Also they found stomach contents that suggest she was killed on the night of June 9th 1959, but they also said the state of her body, the weather conditions and histology, she was killed the night of June 10th 1959. The fact that they did not include these facts in the first trial is very questionable.
A key feature that needs to be strong in a trial, are
Cited: Canada Classic Edition. Timeline of the Truscott Case. 25 November 2013. 26 August 2007 City TV News. The Steven Truscott case Timeline. 19 June 2006. 3 November 2013. Hendley, Nate. Steven Truscott and the Death Penalty. Crime Story. 29 January 2010. 24 October 2013. Ontario Justice Education Network Timeline Events for the Steven Truscott Case. November 2 2013 Patrick, K. I lied at Truscott trial, witness allegedly said. National Post 23 October 2013. Sher, Julian. Last Chance for Justice PorchlightCanada for the Missing and Unidentified Canadian Crime> Steven Truscott. 14 July 2006. October 24 2013