Frank Ostrowski hopes new government means exoneration for 1980s murder conviction
Out on bail for over 6 years but no decision for Frank Ostrowski
Winnipegger Frank Ostrowski is tired of waiting, but on Thursday, the day after a new federal cabinet was sworn in, he was hopeful.
Ostrowski, a former hairstylist who became a cocaine dealer, spent 23 years in jail after he was convicted of ordering the 1986 murder of informant Robert Nieman, another drug dealer.
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A review of his case was announced one year ago by then justice minister Peter MacKay, and the case was sent to Manitoba's Court of Appeal.
"They [Manitoba Court of Appeal] are sitting on it. Well, maybe, now that Mr. Trudeau is in power, things are going to change," Ostrowski said.
He said he's tired of the stigma he's carried all these years, which hits hard sometimes, like last weekend when he heard the murmurs outside his door on Halloween;
"People come for candy, 'Oh, there's that guy. He lives there,'" Ostrowski said.
Ostrowski said he had hoped MacKay would quash his conviction but that didn't happen.
He voted for Justin Trudeau in the recent federal election in the hope the Liberals would act on his case.
"I voted Liberal. I liked his father, and I think Mr. Trudeau is going to do a good job for Canada," Ostrowski said.
'Take the chains off my neck'
In 2014, MacKay determined there was "a reasonable basis to conclude that a miscarriage of justice likely occurred" in Ostrowski's 1987 conviction.
Ostrowski admits he dealt cocaine while working as a hair stylist in the 1980s, but he's always denied ordering the 1986 murder of police-informant Robert Nieman.
He said he can't count the number of times he's said he didn't do it since his arrest.
"I can't count that high. Really, from the day I was arrested, I didn't believe this would happen to me. I thought it would get straightened out," he said.
The Crown at the time said Nieman was killed out of fear he was going to tell police about Ostrowski's cocaine operation.
Ostrowski was convicted in large part because of the testimony of Matthew Lovelace, a drug dealer who had cocaine charges against him dropped in return for his testimony.
The jury on the case and Ostrowski's lawyers never heard about that arrangement, and Lovelace said he did not receive any favours in exchange for his testimony.
Now 66 years old and suffering from severe arthritis in his hands and legs, Ostrowski is still waiting for a call from someone from Manitoba Justice.
"How many people have to have say 'miscarriage of justice' before they take the chains off my neck? This is ridiculous," Ostrowski told CBC News.
Ostrowski, who takes a hand full of medications for his ailments, can no longer work as a hair stylist and sold a small belt-making business he ran after getting out of prison.
He said help from a few close friends have kept him from hitting bottom.
"I'm just getting by. If it wasn't for help from my [girlfriend] and other people, I'd be in the line with all the rest of the other people at Siloam Mission," Ostowski said.
Ostrowski said he will seek compensation for his more than two decades in prison, but he also wants to clear his name.
"There is no better until I'm exonerated and my name is set free-the chains are taking off of me. They are invisible, but they are there," he said.
In a statement, Manitoba Justice said the hearing date for Ostrowski's case in the Court of Appeal has not been set yet. Lawyers are in the process of reviewing the evidence.