Thursday, October 1, 2009

A Message from Denis Michel, John's Lawyer

October 8, 2009.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

RE: John Caleb Moore


I have known John Moore for several years and in fact have reviewed his entire case including the transcripts of his trials and the decisions on his appeals.

John Moore is an aboriginal person who was twice tried by a Jury made up of caucasians told to be members of his peers. The alleged crime took place in Sault Ste Marie which within a radius of 15 kilometers has approximately 8 reserves from which a Jury of his peers could have been selected. It is interesting than aboriginal person in our day could not have any members of his Jury in no less than two Jury trials of aboriginal descent despite the high number of aboriginal people living in and around Sault Ste Marie, Ontario.

John Moore was also convicted on a section of the Criminal Code which no longer pemits convictions upon people who were not at the scence of a murder crime and did not partake in its planning or execution, nor did Mr. Moore have any subjective foresight that a murder would occur at the hand of Mr. Gordon Stevens and Mr. Robert Hogan. This archaic law permitted the conviction of Mr. Moore was rectified in 1987 and despite that fact, nothing has been done to rectify the harm that has been caused to Mr. Moore who spent 10 years in Millhaven Penitentiary and is on life parole.

Imagine spending 10 years in a federal penitentiary for a crime that was committed while you were at home with your pregnant wife expecting the birth of your second son. Then imagine being told that your father passed away and you cannot be released to go to his funeral. Then imagine your sun passing away and you are told that you cannot attend his funeral. Is this the way we wish our First Nations people to be treated or is it time to own up to the mistakes that were made in the case of JOHN CALEB MOORE and remove the conviction for murder form his record and give him back the dignity that was so unjustly taken away from him?

DENIS A. MICHEL
Barrister and Solicitor

1 comment:

  1. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing John, live over the air on Special Blends, at CKCU 93.1 in Ottawa. Please feel free to use this interview to alert others to this great injustice in Canada--Justice for John C. Moore NOW!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIVtb4w9dTU

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