On January 31, 1970, David Milgaard was convicted of the rape and murder of Gail Miller. One year ago, on the same day, he was out on a road trip with his friends, Ron Wilson and Nichol John to Saskatoon, where Gail Miller was raped and murdered. They were on their way to Albert Cadrain’s house who was also a friend of David. Since none of them knew Saskatoon that well, they ended up getting lost and asking for directions at a motel. On their way, a man stopped them because his car was stuck and he needed help. In attempt to help him their car too got stuck and they had to call a tow truck. They waited at the man’s house and arrived at Albert’s house at 9 am in the morning, half an hour after Gail’s body had been found a block away from Albert’s house. Larry fisher lived in Albert’s basement and when he arrived home his wife accused him of murdering Gail Miller and later she said that he looked like a guilty man. Larry fisher was found guilty of raping eight women, years later after David was convicted. David Milgaard spent 23 years in prison and was punished for something he did not do.
Joyce Milgaard fought relentlessly to prove her son’s innocence and sold everything she owned including her car and home. She spent the day doing three jobs and the nights gathering evidence. She travelled all around Canada looking for help, gathering evidence, meeting witnesses and convincing them to testify, seeking public sympathy and support, meeting politicians and lawyers, organizing vigils, writing letters, interviewing for magazines and television etc. She became a Christian scientist and had immense faith that god will help her. After learning about Larry, she further inquired about him and found out that he lived in the same area as Gail miller did and that his raping patterns were similar to the way Gail miller was raped. Finally, David won the appeal on April 16, 1992. Larry fisher was found guilty of raping and murdering Gail Miller. Despite all the pain and suffering, Joyce’s determination paid off. Milgaard was freed, but his name was cleared after a DNA testing proved conclusively his innocence.
Joyce Milgaard's story inspires and sets an example for others by illustrating the unconditional love a mother has for her child and encouraging people to never give up. She is successful in conveying her message that justice cannot be guaranteed and is something that has to be fought for. The book is very effective in convincing the reader that victory is always achieved in the search for truth and justice cannot be denied if one is innocent. The author expresses the failure of the law system in the past years and is concerned about making it more effective by suggesting amendments in the appeal process and review of wrongful convictions. Throughout the book, Joyce expresses her gratitude to her supporters and lawyers and tries to state the facts without being biased or laying blame. She clarifies her goal to free her son with no intention to embarrass anyone and shows sympathy for all the victims and witnesses involved in the case. The book acknowledges the empowering victory of the human spirit.
After David got convicted, Joyce and her family were often taunted, ridiculed and avoided. At first, it was difficult for her to get the people and media interested in helping her and her home life suffered and she was reduced to near poverty. But when she offered a reward of ten thousand dollars, people starting following up. She publicized the case in order to gain public support and sympathy. Her determination paid off. Public support grew and the issue started attracting more attention. The people wanted to help and this was extremely beneficial as it revealed more witnesses and led to more evidence. Soon the case attracted nationwide attention and ministers and politicians started noticing. Joyce Milgaard strongly believes that had it not been for the Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney, who offered to talk to the Justice Minister Kim Campbell about it, it would have been very hard to win an appeal. A mysterious phone call led her to inquire about Larry Fisher. On further investigation, Joyce and the lawyer figured it was Fisher who had murdered Gail. Now that she had evidence and had won the appeal, she was very confident that David would finally be set free.
The failure of the law system in the past years has been portrayed in many instances in the book. David was gang raped in prison and also beaten up after he had been caught when he tried to escape from prison. This constitutes cruel and inhumane punishment which is prohibited in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms. He was also supposed to be tried within a reasonable amount of time, but the trial took place a year after the murder. This goes against section 11 under legal rights. During the first trial, the judge had circulated a note that he had written, in which he manipulated the jury against David, thus David was not treated fairly. Moreover, all the information regarding the case was not disclosed. Joyce found out much later that many other witnesses had testified, of who they were never told about. A lot of evidence and files had also gone missing due to the carelessness of the police. The major highlight of this case was witness intimidation. The police pressured the witnesses so much that they became depressed and gave a wrong testimony and David had to pay a heavy price of twenty three years in prison for this. Later they gave another written statement at the Supreme Court in his favor though. People with criminal records also testified. The prosecution attorney had David’s files which violated the Privacy Act. The most significant evidence that cleared David’s name was the semen and DNA report.
The book leaves a very strong impact on the reader. The author’s tone is very conversational and grabs the reader’s attention. It is very inspiring and enjoyable. The author’s compassion and maternal love is apparent at every point. It compels the reader to consider the injustice that takes place and provides them the courage to raise their voice against it.