David Milgaard - Arrest and Trial

Arrest and Trial

In January 1969, Milgaard, and his friends, Ron Wilson and Nichole John, took a trip across Canadian roads which included some drugs. Ron Wilson later testified against Milgaard, claiming that Milgaard had stolen a flashlight from a grain elevator outside Aylesbury, Saskatchewan.

While the friends were in Saskatoon, a 20-year-old nursing student, Gail Miller, was found dead on a snowbank. At the time Milgaard and his friends were picking up their friend, Albert Cadrain, whose family was renting out their basement to Larry Fisher.

Tipped off by Cadrain, who admitted he was mostly interested in the $2,000 reward for information, British Columbia police arrested Milgaard in May 1969 and sent him back to Saskatchewan where he was charged with Miller's murder. Cadrain testified that he had seen Milgaard return the night of Miller's murder in blood-stained clothing.

Both Ron and Nichole were also called to testify against him. They had told police that they had been with Milgaard the entire day and that they believed him to be innocent, but they changed their stories for the court. Ron later recanted his testimony claiming that he had been told he was personally under suspicion and wanted to alleviate the pressure on himself.

Milgaard was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison on January 31, 1970, exactly a year after Miller's murder.