Lamer Inquiry report to be released

The Newfoundland and Labrador government will release Wednesday the findings of the Lamer Inquiry, which examined how the criminal justice system dealt with three discredited murder convictions.

Antonio Lamer, the retired chief of the Supreme Court of Canada, delivered his report three weeks ago on how the justice system failed Greg Parsons, Randy Druken and Ronald Dalton.

The three-year, $7-million inquiry looked at the cases of three men who were all convicted of murder but were later either exonerated or found not guilty after appeal.

On the Parsons and Druken cases, the inquiry heard evidence that indicated serious shortcomings with police investigations.

On the Dalton case, the inquiry focused on why Dalton — who was convicted of murdering his wife — waited eight years in prison before his appeal was finally heard.

Lamer, who was appointed in 2003 by the former Liberal government, was given a mandate that instructed him not to find any party at fault.

Paul Noble, a lawyer who represented the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary at the Lamer inquiry, said things have already changed in how investigations are conducted.

"We'll certainly be wanting to make the point that perhaps the way these cases proceeded 10, 12, 13 years ago, would not necessarily be approached the same way today," Noble said.

Three discredited convictions studied

The Lamer Inquiry exhaustively covered three cases, and exposed problems across the justice system.

Parsons, who testified that he was treated cruelly by police and was railroaded by prosecutors, was convicted in 1994 of second-degree murder in the death of his mother, Catherine Carroll.

He did not serve a prison term while the matter was under appeal and was cleared by DNA evidence in 1998.

Brian Doyle, a childhood friend of Parsons, pleaded guilty to the crime in 2002 and is now serving a life sentence.

Last year, the Newfoundland and Labrador government's prosecutions office apologized to Parsons for its handling of the case, which was built on circumstantial evidence.

• FROM APRIL 28, 2005: Prosecutions office apologizes to Parsons

Druken was convicted for the 1993 murder of his girlfriend, Brenda Marie Young. He spent more than six years in prison before newly examined DNA evidence led to his release.

• FROM JAN. 28, 2005: 'I am an innocent man,' Druken tells Lamer

Evidence presented at the inquiry showed that the DNA of his brother, Paul Druken — who subsequently died of a suspected drug overdose — was found at the scene of the crime.

As well, the inquiry was told that the case involved the testimony of a jailhouse informant, who later admitted he lied.

Dalton was convicted in 1989 of killing his wife, Brenda. He waited for eight years before an appeal on his case was heard. He was acquitted in the second trial, in which forensic experts laid out evidence that his wife accidentally choked to death on cereal.

• FROM SEPT. 24, 2003: Dalton lays out delay details