Trade Paperback
363 Pages, 6 x 9 x 0.87 in
August 18, 2000
Trafford Publishing
1552124169
9781552124161
From the Publisher
Not since the trial of Louis Riel in 1885 had Western Canada seen
such a courtroom drama. Colin Thatcher, millionaire rancher, son of
former Saskatchewan Premier Ross Thatcher, a Member of the
Saskatchewan Legislature and a former cabinet minister in his own
right, charged with the brutal slaying of his ex-wife JoAnn. A
fifteen-month police investigation, capped by a wire-tapped
recording of the accused politician in conversation with his
accomplice. The battle before the jury entranced the entire nation
as the outcome was uncertain to the very end. But the jury rejected
Thatcher''s credo"Deny, Deny, Deny" and convicted the victim''s
former husband who had regarded himself as above the law. The
sentence? Life imprisonment without eligibility for parole for
twenty-five years.
Colin Thatcher refused to accept the verdict of the jury. He
appealed. And appealed. And appealed. First, to the Saskatchewan
Court of Appeal. Then to the Supreme Court of Canada. Then to the
Minister of Justice, claiming "new evidence" entitled him to a new
trial. The Colin Thatcher case continued for fifteen years after
the 1984 guilty verdict, and continues today. A jury trial is
scheduled for Moose Jaw in October 2000 as the convicted murderer
seeks a reduction in his twenty-five year period of parole
ineligibility.
Deny, Deny, Deny tells the entire story of Colin Thatcher, his
background, his family''s wealth, his story-book marriage that
somehow went sour, his stormy political career. The overpowering
personality that made him above the law - almost. And the inside
story of the police investigation that at last brought Colin
Thatcher to justice.
This new and expanded version of the 1985 best-sellercarries Colin
Thatcher another fifteen years. Through his many appeals, his
career in prison, and his skilful manipulation of the media while
he campaigned from behind bars to be accepted as another of the
wrongfully convicted, another David Milgaard. And the new evidence
that even further confirms the guilt of the cunning politician.
About the Author
A senior Regina lawyer, Garrett Wilson, QC, was a key Liberal during the administration of Premier Ross Thatcher, Colin's father. His background made him familiar with the principal players in the Thatcher case long before it came to national attention. His long association with the Regina police as counsel gives him insight to the long and difficult - and continuing - investigation. Garrett has continued to follow the Thatcher case during the more than fifteen years since the original trial ended.