STEVEN TRUSCOTT CASE STUDY by Sofia Esquivel

Steven Truscott 2012

sofia_esquivel2 — 2014-11-23 21:39:09 UTC

This photo was taken of Steven Truscott back in 2012, as a Toronto Star reporter visited one of Canada’s most famous victims of being wrongfully convicted. Like most articles that reminisce on Truscott’s past, this Toronto Star article talks about another battle that Mr. Truscott is going through. At the time that this photo was taken, Mr. Truscott was battling prostate cancer, yet, another battle for his life. Steve Truscott stated to the Toronto Star, “Worrying about it isn’t going to make it go away, I figured if the government couldn’t get rid of me, this wasn’t going to get rid of me either.”

Steven Truscott ~ A story of Innocence.

sofia_esquivel2 — 2014-11-23 21:40:33 UTC

This short clip is a summarization of how Steven Truscott was convicted of the rape and murder of his classmate, 12-year-old, Lynne Harper. The video starts from the day he was convicted, to the day he was arrested, to the day when he was put on parole, and finally, to the day the Ontario Court of Appeal cleared Steven Truscott of all charges. This is a great short clip that summarizes the story of Steven Truscott, and it is a great tool to use as an introduction on the story of Mr. Truscott. The video is intense, emotional, and shows real-life photos of Mr. Truscott.

Steven Truscott ~ Toronto Star

sofia_esquivel2 — 2014-11-23 21:45:29 UTC

This Toronto Star article was published the day that Steven Truscott’s long fight for justice ended in victory, on August 28, 2007. The article gathered statements from Mr. Truscott’s family, friends, the judge panel, Ontario Attorney General, and more. This was a huge day for Mr. Truscott and everyone who supported him, and the article describes all of that. It’s funny to read Truscott’s statements about the future in this article – the day he was released - and compare it to today. This article captures a huge part of history.

Steven Truscott's $6.5 Million Award for Wrongful Conviction

sofia_esquivel2 — 2014-11-23 21:54:26 UTC

The content of the video discusses the effort of Steven Truscott to clear his name after 45 years of being labeled a killer. It discusses the possibility of his 1959 murder conviction being overturned, and the chance of financial compensation. Criminal attorney Joseph Neuberger speaks on the similarities between the Truscott case and that of David Milgaard. In both instances, the arrests were made within 24 hours of the murder. Neuberger explains how the Truscott case would have resulted in an acquittal if it were to take place in modern times (with modern forensic advances). Truscott has to wait 10 years for parole to be granted, and was originally sentenced to death. He was only 14 at the time of his arrest for the murder of Lynne Harper.

Video Follow-up

Steven Truscott was awarded $6.5 million on July 7’th, 2008.

Steven Truscott ~ Mug Shot

sofia_esquivel2 — 2014-11-23 21:58:08 UTC

As shown in the picture, when arrested Steven Truscott was only 14 years old. The image also shows his measurements at the time of arrest. He was 5 ft 8 and weighed only 131 pounds. Obviously, this would make him a small fish in the prison environment where he would subsequently spend 10 years. The mugshot was taken in 1959. The photo is relevant because it shows how vulnerable Steven Truscott was as a teenager, he certainly doesn’t adopt the appearance of a hardened criminal.

Timeline of Events for the Steven Truscott Case

sofia_esquivel2 — 2014-11-23 22:01:12 UTC

The relevance of this article to the case study is that it gives a play-by-play description of the events involving Steven Truscott. It focuses on the night of the murder of Lynn Harper, Truscott’s arrest, his subsequent court hearings, and new evidence introduced throughout. Truscott was charged with first-degree murder and the magistrate determined he should stand trial as an adult. The court held a preliminary hearing and allowed testimony from 31 witnesses and examined 21 pieces of evidence. With all the evidence presented, it was determined that the case should go to trial (Truscott pleaded not guilty). The timeline lists important dates and events that occurred over the course of the investigation, trial and eventual conviction. The article shows the times of relevant incidents and concludes with the acquittal of Mr. Truscott. In the end, he was awarded $6.5 million in compensation.

Steven Truscott ~ Acquittal

sofia_esquivel2 — 2014-11-24 03:16:02 UTC

A Canadian court acquitted Steven Truscott today and called his murder conviction "A Miscarriage Of Justice".The gist of the matter in this video obtains to Steven Truscott and his acquittal. At the opening of the clip – they did a short interview on Steven Truscott’s daughter. Within that interview time they accentuated their support and words of encouragement that lead up to that day. The interviewers also cited that the court did not voice that Steven was one hundred percent guilty, and that there would have to be another trial for that. Stevens daughter declared that it did not trouble her at all, and that she knows whom her dad really is.

"Too soon to consider compensation", says Truscott

sofia_esquivel2 — 2014-11-24 03:27:54 UTC

In this article, Steven Truscott states he's still in shock from news of his acquittal and hasn't had time to think about whether he'll seek compensation for being wrongly convicted of his “murder” in 1959 of Lynn Harper. This acquittal was a moment for history for Truscott as it's taken 48 years to get this far. After so many disappointments, including a Supreme Court decision in 1966 not to order a retrial in his case, he never imagined he would be acquitted. James Lockyer was the lawyer to notify Truscott with this exhilarating news that would be life changing for not only himself, but his family.

Steven Truscott ~ "Youngest death-row inmate"

sofia_esquivel2 — 2014-11-24 03:36:11 UTC

This picture shows Steven Truscott. He became Canada's youngest death-row inmate in 1959 when he was sentenced to be hanged at age 14 for the "murder" of Lynne Harper. His case is one of the most famous and controversial in Canadian history.

CASE STUDY: STEVEN TRUSCOTT

sofia_esquivel2 — 2014-11-24 03:41:59 UTC