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Steven Truscott: At just the age of fourteen, Steven Truscott was sentenced to death. why? please read below.

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Steven Truscott was convicted of the murder of his classmate, Lynne Harper in 1959. He had taken Lynne for a ride on his bicycle on June 9th 1959 and this was the last time anyone had seen her alive. Steven was only fourteen years old at the time, and, at the time was sentenced to death by hanging. In 1960, the Governor General ordered Steven's death sentence be commuted to a life imprisonment sentence.

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At just twelve years of age, Lynne was raped and murdered. Lynne and Steven were classmates at Marshal Hugh Campbell School in a small town just outside of London, ON. Truscott had simply given Lynne Harper a ride on his bicycle, he had no knowledge that he would later be accused, convicted, and sentenced to death for her murder.

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The full story:
The following link is provided to explain Steven Truscott's full story along with his case, conviction, appeal, and compensation. The article begins with where his story began, Truscott was simply riding his bike with a peer from school who happened to be found murdered just two days after Steven was seen with her. Paragraphs three, four and five look deeper into the evidence police found against him, and paragraphs thirteen and fourteen explain where they went wrong. This link is absolutely important as it includes all chronological steps as to what Steven Truscott went through during his long and unfortunate journey to justice.

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We've helped exonerate 21 innocent people since 1993.

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This link provides the most important parts of Steven's trail and conviction as well as a detailed timeline leading up to his case finally being declared a "miscarriage of justice". It is important to know all of these key details as it will help the reader to understand Steven's case, all that he went through and how he was able to achieve justice.

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This image is of Steven when he was fourteen years old. As seen in the image, he is holding onto the bicycle he had been riding with Lynne Harper. What Truscott wasn't aware of is that he would later on be accused and convicted of murder.

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His Word Against History:
This video provides us with live insight on what Steven was thinking during his trial and conviction so many years ago. In this episode of The Fifth Estate, Truscott is able to speak on his own behalf on what he was feeling during and after his miscarriage of justice. He speaks of his shock, sadness, and disbelief as he went through the trial and sentencing. By watching this video we will be able to look into the mind of Truscott as he takes the audience back to where his case began, as an innocent fourteen year old boy simply riding his bike with a friend.

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It was a hot, muggy evening in 1959 when 14-year-old Steven Truscott gave his schoolmate Lynn Harper a ride on his bicycle near an air force base outside Clinton, Ontario.
Two days later, the girl's body was found in a wooded grove near the town. She had been raped and strangled.

After a trial that lasted only 15 days, Truscott was convicted of murder and sentenced to be hanged, becoming Canada's youngest death-row inmate. His death sentence was commuted, but the schoolboy spent a decade in prison before being paroled in 1969.

The case of Steven Truscott was the most famous chid criminal case in Canadian judicial history, but Truscott himself disappeared into an anonymous existence, living under an assumed name and shunning all publicity for three decades.

Then, in a 2000 episode of the fifth estate, Steven Truscott broke his 40-year silence for the first time, coming forward to maintain his innocence.

The fifth estate's investigation highlighted serious problems with the forensic evidence and showed that police were too hasty in laying charges, ignoring vital testimony of certain key witnesses and not allowing for the possibility of other potential suspects.

Following the documentary and a book on the case, Truscott, his family and supporters launched a campaign, with help from lawyers from the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted, to get the federal justice minister to re-open the case.

On Aug 28, 2007 - 48 years later his original trial - the Ontario Court of Appeal unanimously overturned Truscott's conviction, declaring the case "a miscarriage of justice" that "must be quashed".
The Ontario Government awarded him $6.5 million in compensation for his ordeal.

Truscott now lives in Guelph with his wife of more than four decades, Marlene, who was instrumental in the legal effort to bring about his acquittal.

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Steven Truscott - His Word Against History - Episodes - The Fifth Estate

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It was a hot, muggy evening in 1959 when 14-year-old Steven Truscott gave his schoolmate Lynn Harper a ride on his bicycle near an air force base outside Clinton, Ontario. Two days later, the girl's body was found in a wooded grove near the town. She had been raped and strangled.

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This image is of Steven Truscott today, a free man and now age 72.

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Can any amount of money truly compensate for what Steven Truscott has lost? He had been given 6.5 million dollars in compensation of his miscarriage of justice. This article discusses factors contributing to the amount Steven had received due to his incarceration and wrongful conviction. It covers areas of suffering as well as the lack of evidence provided during his case.

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Steven Truscott to get $6.5M for wrongful conviction | CBC News

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The Ontario government will pay Steven Truscott $6.5 million for suffering a "miscarriage of justice" and living 48 years with the stigma of being wrongfully convicted of a rape and murder he did not commit. "We are doing what we can to bring to the conclusion this remarkable aspect of Mr. Truscott's life's journey," Ontario Attorney General Chris Bentley said Monday in Toronto.

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A play based on the story of Steven Truscott. It has been made clear that Steven's case has been recognized from all parts of Ontario, including the Centaur Theatre in Montreal Quebec. His story was told on stage at the theatre, and became a huge success. I have shared this because I feel it is the perfect example of how many people are effected by a wrongful conviction, and it also shows how much support Truscott was shown.

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A scene from the media call of the Centaur Theatre Company production of Beverly Cooper's "Innocence Lost", a play about Steven Truscott. The play runs from January 29 - February 24, 2013.

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This link offers the opinions and critiques expressed by the audience after watching "Innocence Lost". Many if not all of the audience members gave amazing reviews, and expressed the raw sadness and sorrow projected onto them from the stage. The true sadness of it all is the story is true.

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Audience Reaction to Innocence Lost: A Play About Steven Truscott

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Check out what audiences are saying about Beverley Cooper's Innocence Lost: A Play About Steven Truscott. This powerful co-production with the Centaur Theatre plays in NAC Theatre February 27 - March 16 2013.