Milgaard Inquiry

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Larry Fisher's ex-wife testifies

Linda Fisher, Larry Fisher's ex-wife, testified at the Inquiry hearing this week. According to Betty Ann Adam, Linda suspected her husband of murdering Gail Miller within hours of the attack because her kitchen knife was missing, her husband had not returned home the previous evening, there was blood on his clothing and he did not go to work that day. Also, apparently Larry acted very strange when Linda offhandedly accused him of involvement in the Miller murder. But Linda was only kidding when she accused her husband; her suspicions were vague and she didn't really believe that he had been involved. Consequently, Linda did not take this information to the police until 1980 because she assumed that the justice system could not have made an error in the Milgaard case.

At that time, her ex-husband was arrested for rape and attempted murder in North Battleford while he was out of prison on parole. Linda was aware that Milgaard was appealing his conviction, thus, she made the courageous move to visit the Saskatoon police station and tell them about her concerns. The police never followed up.

Shockingly, Linda Fisher also told the hearing that her ex-husband had confided in her before his release from prison in 1980, stating that he had not received any treatment in prison and feared that he might reoffend if he got out. Linda Fisher relayed this information to the corrections department, which apparently did not take it seriously.

Finally, in 1990, Joyce Milgaard went looking for Linda Fisher after her lawyer received a tip from an unknown source, saying that serial rapist Fisher was living in the basement of Shorty Cadrain's house -- the house that David had visited on the day of Gail Miller's murder

Really, how many endless mistakes could there have been in the Milgaard case? Linda Fisher went to the Saskatoon police. She spoke to the corrections department. Isn't there a limit to incompetence? The more obvious answer seems to indicate that the police were doing everything imaginable to cover their own backsides with little regard for any of the victims in this scenario. And lest we forget, the first and foremost victims here were Gail Miller and her family. There was no justice for the Miller family until Larry Fisher was put behind bars. That's what makes his current protestations of innocence so very repulsive and pathetic.

Sigrid Mac

2 Comments:

  • At 4:16 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Hi Sigrid

    This story of the ex-wife is
    remarkable to say the lest.
    The day she enlightend the
    police to what really happend. Must have made them aware of a problem.
    Particularly since Fisher was
    charged again .

    Dan Wood

     
  • At 4:41 PM, Blogger Sigrid Macdonald said…

    Hi Dan,

    You're so right. I just finished reading an article by Mel Green, co-president of AIDWYC. When I have the energy -- yawn! -- I want to write a post summarizing what he said, but the gist of it is that prosecutors develop a certain "conviction mentality." It prevents them from believing that they can make any errors or from thinking about reassessing a case once they already have a conviction.

    Linda Fisher came forth with all kinds of interesting and damning information but the police didn't follow up at all. Maybe it wasn't completely a coverup; some of it may have been what Green referred to as institutional flaws that prevent police and prosecutors from discovering their own errors.

    Sigrid

     

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