Testimony by Rick Pearson

The Star Phoenix reported that Sergeant Rick Pearson told the Commission that there was not any concrete or specific physical evidence in the murder of nursing aide Gail Miller. Pearson was involved in the original investigation; however, he wrote up a report in 1992 suggesting that the evidence pointed more towards Larry Fisher than David Milgaard. He told the inquiry that the main reason that he still suspected David despite these indications that Fisher may have committed the crime was that David had been convicted.

That goes to show how very hard it is for police, prosecutors and the public to change their opinion once a guilty verdict has been rendered. I know that when I was working for David back in the early nineties, many people -- including my relatives -- thought that I was sadly misguided. As a society, we certainly do place far too much faith in our institutions; whatever happened to the dissidents from the sixties? Have they all become Volvo Soccer Driving Moms, living in the suburbs?

Sigrid Mac