David Milkard died at the age of 69

Canadian David Milkard, who spent more than two decades in prison for a crime he did not commit before becoming one of the most serious defenders of injustice in the Canadian criminal justice system, has died in Calgary at the age of 69.

Read more: The charges against Milkard were dropped

Read more: David Milgard was charged with assault

Read more: Abortions of justice in Canada

The Project Milkard organization announced the news on its social media on Sunday. His sister, Susan Milkard, confirmed to the Globe and Mail on Sunday morning that a major civil rights activist who had suffered one of the worst legal errors in Canadian history had died of pneumonia.

Life of David Milgard Gail Miller, a Saskatoon nurse, was falsely accused of being raped and murdered in 1969. The man, who was not even in town at the time of the murder, was convicted only on the basis of the testimonies of his friends – obtained under police pressure – including one who later admitted he was still under the influence of drugs. During his investigation, the Canadian Encyclopedia describes.

Police have deliberately ignored evidence linking the real killer, Larry Fisher, to Gail Miller’s murder. David Milkard was acquitted until 1992, when the Supreme Court reviewed his case after new evidence emerged, and Fisher was not arrested until 1997, when he pleaded guilty in a series of DNA tests and at the same time Mr. Milcard is released. For good.

David Milkard received $ 10 million in damages for spending decades behind bars, during which time he attempted suicide and was repeatedly assaulted.

Following his traumatic experience, David Milkard became a strong advocate for the rights of people who have been wrongly convicted. He delivered speeches in which he warned the people against the danger of miscarriage of justice and campaigned for the creation of an independent commission to reconsider controversial investigations.