Photo: The Canadian Press
Lawyer James Locker was photographed after a press conference held by Innocence Canada in Toronto on Wednesday, October 9, 2019. Two indigenous sisters who spent nearly 30 years in prison for what they believe is a wrongful sentence for murder now have reason to hope the names can be cleared soon. THE CANADIAN PRESS / Chris Young
Two indigenous sisters, who have spent nearly 30 years in prison for what they say is an unlawful murder sentence, now have reason to hope their names will be cleared soon.
The Ministry of Justice has sent a letter to the lawyer representing Odelia and Nerisa Cuevezans, stating that there may be reasonable grounds to conclude that a miscarriage of justice may have occurred in this matter.
The letter from the Criminal Review Panel to the department said the matter would now move to the stage of investigating the sentencing review process.
Once the group has completed its investigation, a recommendation will be made to Justice Minister David Lametti for consideration.
Odelia was 20 and Nerissa was 18 when they were arrested for stabbing 70-year-old farmer Anthony Joseph Dolph in 1993 near Kamsak, Sask.
Their lawyer, James Locker, said the sisters were present at Dolph’s murder, but a man who was young at the time confessed to the murder and testified that the sisters were not involved.
Odelia Kevezans was recently briefly released from prison and left for Ottawa on Thursday to appeal directly to justice officials and demand the release of Nerissa, who remains in British Columbia prison.
Locker filed an application at Lametti’s office in December, requesting a ministerial review of the case.
He says he received the letter from the department on Thursday and now plans to apply for bail later this month or early July.
“It’s a sign that things may be going well for them,” Locker said of the nurses’ reaction to the news. “It’s very exciting for them. They may begin to see a possible reversal of their sentence on the horizon.
“It’s really good news, and if I can get a guarantee for both of them, it’s even better news.
The Aboriginal Congress says in a statement that it is “ecstatic” to learn that justice can come for the sisters.
Kim Bodin, the national deputy head of Congress, said it was exciting that “after 30 years of colossal injustice, women are one step closer to freedom.”
“It must be fate,” Bodin said, at the time of the letter, which arrived at Lockieri the same day that Odelia Cuevezans appealed to Ottawa.
Locker, a Toronto-based lawyer who helped acquit David Milgaard in 1997 and helped found the advocacy organization Innocence Canada, said he took the sisters’ case because of Milgaard’s belief in their innocence.
Odelia said Milgaard, who spent 23 years in prison for rape and murder in 1969, which he did not commit, was her “biggest supporter” and was “like a brother, an angel” to her. Milgaard died last month.
Locker claims that “the two indigenous young women (were) essentially at the mercy of a bunch of RCMP officers for five days without any protection” and the statements they made were “completely unreliable”.
“Forget for a moment the miscarriage of justice during their trial, they are still (in prison), 20 years after they were entitled to parole,” Locker said in an interview last month.
“They need to be able to live the rest of their lives as free people.”
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