John Moore's story goes national

John Moore's story goes national
by Jenny Jelen, Northern Life, February 6, 2013

John Moore's story has been told — it's been on the radio, on TV, in print and online in Greater Sudbury since it began.

Since 1991, Moore has been fighting relentlessly for justice. Now, his story is about to reach across Canada during an episode of APTN Investigates.

The show, which airs 30-minute episodes that explore “complex issues of the day,” asks questions and gets answers otherwise unseen, according to its website.

“Using long form, in-depth investigative journalism techniques on Aboriginal issues is an idea whose time has come,” it stated.

Moore spent a decade of his life in a federal penitentiary. He lost his wife. He lost his two sons. And he lost his integrity and credibility. Now, he continues fighting to get his life back, to have his name exonerated of a second-degree murder charge for a murder he said that he did not commit.

He said his ultimate goal today remains the same as it was years ago — exoneration.

He said in a previous interview that he has sent package after package after package (to the government) in hopes of getting someone to listen.

"It's like everybody wants to leave it there, bury it and don't want to work with it, to look for justice and look at all the facts that are presented to them. They just don't want to deal with it,” he said in the previous interview.

On June 30, 1978, Donald Lanthier, a taxi driver in Sault Ste. Marie, was brutally murdered by two men, who had lured him to a remote location and robbed him of $15.
Evidence given throughout Moore's first and second trials proved he was not one of these men, and in fact, was nowhere near the scene of the crime.

However, his conviction came from the fact that he “should have known the murder was going to happen,” after spending time with the two accused earlier that day. This legal theory was known as culpable homicide.

Moore was convicted of second-degree murder, along with two other men, in 1979. Following an appeal and a second trial in 1982, the charge held.

In 1987, the culpable homicide law was found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of Canada and was repealed. Moore was released on parole two years later.

To this day, Moore lives his life on parole with the stigma of a murder charge hanging over him. He has been heading an ongoing campaign since his conviction to be pardoned of the charge, sending letter after letter to the higher-ups in government.

He hopes the national attention will help his case.

“Being on national TV is what I've been asking for,” he said. “Hopefully, the message will get out and people will see it.”

His episode of the show was filmed in Sudbury this January.

“I think one of the most important points I'm making is that no one could be convicted of culpable murder today, and you've fallen through the cracks with only the politicians being able to help you now,” Todd Lamirande, host of APTN Investigates, said in an email to Moore.

Moore said it was an interesting experience to be followed by cameras for four day. But if it helps clear his name, it's worth it.

“All I have is hope — hope, hope and hope,” he said. “It's all I have left. All the legal avenues I had are gone.”

The episode airs at 8 p.m. on Feb. 8. Visit aptn.ca for more information.