On Jan. 31, 1970, 17-year-old David Milgaard was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Gail Miller.

He spent 23 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, but his mother never gave up and fought for his release.

This is his story.

David Milgaard was born on July 7, 1952 in Winnipeg.

In January 1969, he was in Saskatoon with his friends Ron Wilson and Nichol John on a trip across Canada.

While visiting their friend Albert Cadrain, 20-year-old nursing student Gail Miller was found dead nearby.

A month later, Cadrain went to police and told them Milgaard was acting suspicious on the drive to Calgary. Police located Nichol John and Ron Wilson. Their initial statements provided an alibi for Milgaard. Police believed both men had lied in their statements.

Both were threatened with prosecution and both changed their stories.

John and Wilson said Milgaard had killed Miller, John said he had directly witnessed Milgaard stabbing her. On May 30, 1969, Milgaard was charged with first-degree murder.

Sentenced to life in prison, Milgaard's appeal to the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal was dismissed. The Supreme Court of Canada also declined to hear Milgaard's appeal. His mother, Joyce, never doubted her son's innocence and fought for his release constantly.

For years, Joyce Milgaard continually sent story angles to journalists to keep her son's story alive and in the public consciousness. At one point, Joyce confronted Kim Campbell, the federal Minister of Justice, directly in front of television cameras.

She also stated she would camp out on the lawn of the Saskatchewan Legislature to get action on her son's case. In December 1988, Milgaard applied to have his case reviewed under Section 690 of the Criminal Code in the hopes of getting a new trial.

Campbell dismissed the application in February 1991. Six months later, a new application, which focused on the potential guilt of Larry Fisher and the recanting of Ron Wilson and his testimony, was accepted by Campbell and the case went to the Supreme Court.

In 1992, the Supreme Court recommended that Milgaard's conviction be quashed and a new trial be held. Two days later, the Attorney General of Saskatchewan stated that Milgaard would be freed immediately but did not call an inquiry.

Milgaard's story inspired Gord Downie of The Tragically Hip to write Wheat Kings (the greatest Canadian song ever IMO). Milgaard had spent 8,355 days in prison for a crime he did not commit. In 1997, DNA evidence confirmed Milgaard was not involved in the murder.

Two years later, Milgaard was awarded $10 million in compensation. Milgaard rebuilt his life after his release. Milgaard spent the rest of his life working as a community support worker and prisoners' rights advocate. He died on May 15, 2022 from pneumonia in Calgary.

I hope you found the story of David Milgaard interesting.

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