John Penistan's Forensic Evidence Used To Convict Truscott

Steven Truscott, age 14 was sentenced to the death penalty for a schoolmate’s murder with little to no evidence to be proven innocent 48 years later. In 1959 Truscott became Canadas youngest death-row inmate after a short 15-day trial with no solid evidence against him. The evidence that was used to convict Truscott was John Penistan’s forensic evidence which was later on proven incorrect. Many witnesses came out on what happened the night of Lynn Harpers death but none of these testimonies were included in the original police report.

One of the major issues that was part of this case was the lack of efforts put into finding out what happened the day Harper went missing. The evidence that was used to convict Truscott was John Penistan’s forensic

Some of the forensic and pathology experts cast doubt on coroner John Penistan’s key forensic evidence used to convict Truscott.” This case haven been taken many years ago had many doubts surrounding it, “in 1996, Penistan had second thoughts and published a review of his autopsy that opened the time frame to a 12-hour window.” Since the forensic evidence was the determining factor for Truscott’s conviction, many years later there was more research done. Dr. Neal Haskell, a forensic entomology professor “testified that larvae must have been deposited on the 12-year-olds body between 9pm and 9:30pm.” With that being said this put weight on the time interval Penistan originally stated. After Dr. Neal Haskell’s statement, there was also Elgin Brown, a biologist who told the court “that maggots found on Harpers body probably hatched at 2:30 p.m. on June 10, 1959.” That statement being presented, Sherah Vanlaerhoven “estimated that insects started laying

To start, the police didn’t take into account any possible suspects in the general area of the murder. For example, there was Alexander Kaliichuk who had a history of sexual offences and lived within a 20-min drive of where the murder took place. Another man, convicted for rape who worked regularly at a base which was also near the murder scene was not taken in as a suspect. Then there was Bob Lawson, the farmer who owned the land where Harpers body was found said “he saw a strange car parked near his fence the night the 12- year-old disappeared.” Years later when this case was brought to light Lawson told the court “he went to the guardhouse at the Royal Canadian Air Force, but the officer on duty wasn’t interested.” With key witnesses and suspects not being acknowledge within the time of Truscott’s trial proves how little time and thought was put into his conviction. Harry Seyeau, a retired OPP superintendent, testified “that he and his police colleagues did not inquire about existing sexual predators with nearby OPP detachment, crown offices, or the Royal Canadian Air Force.” As the years went by more and more evidence surfaced and the truth became more apparent. Throughout all of this Truscott maintained his innocence by “voluntarily submitting in prison