Willie Nepoose facts for kids
Wilson "Willie" Nepoose was a Samson Cree man who was wrongly found guilty of a serious crime in 1987. He was later proven innocent in 1992. This happened after an investigation showed that witnesses had lied, police work was not done well, important evidence was hidden, and First Nations people faced unfair treatment in Canada's justice system. Willie Nepoose passed away around 1997 or 1998.
Early Life and Unfair Arrest
Willie Nepoose was a member of the Samson Cree Nation. This community is located in Maskwacis, Alberta.
In 1986, a 43-year-old First Nations woman named Rose Marie Desjarlais was killed in Edmonton. A few weeks later, Willie Nepoose was arrested. There was no physical evidence that connected him to the case. The court's decision was based only on what two women said they saw. These women claimed they had witnessed the event. The court did not believe Willie Nepoose's alibi, which was his proof that he was somewhere else. He was then given a life sentence.
Fighting for Justice
Willie Nepoose was held in a prison in Saskatchewan. His sister-in-law, Debbie, and his brother, Lester, worked hard to prove he was innocent. They hired Jack Ramsay, who used to be a police officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
Jack Ramsay investigated the case. He found that witnesses had lied under oath. He also found that the police work was not good. He discovered that witnesses were pressured to lie. Ramsay believed that Willie Nepoose was treated unfairly because he was a First Nations person. He said that if Nepoose had been white, the case would likely not have gone to court. He compared Willie's situation to Donald Marshall Jr., another First Nations man who was wrongly found guilty.
Police were found to have kept important information secret. This included statements that went against what both the prosecution and defense were saying. One witness, Delma Bull, later said she was forced to lie about seeing the event. Records showed she could not have been there at the time.
The case gained a lot of attention from the news. Newspapers like the Edmonton Sun and magazines like Alberta Report wrote about it. One magazine even had a cover story called "White Man's Justice: New Evidence: Maybe Wilson Nepoose didn't murder anybody after all."
Freedom and Later Years
An official investigation took place in 1991. Because of this, Willie Nepoose's conviction was overturned in 1992. This meant the court's decision was reversed. However, a new trial never happened, so Willie Nepoose was never officially cleared of all blame.
Willie Nepoose struggled with sadness after his release. He spent some time at a mental health facility. He was planning to take legal action against the RCMP. On December 28, 1997, he told his brother Lester he needed some time alone and then went missing. He was reported missing on January 4, 1998. Later that year, his remains were found near his sister's home in Maskwacis. The death of Rose Marie Desjarlais remains unsolved.
