National Network for Equitable Library Service

On May 7, 1984, Colin Thatcher was convicted of killing his ex-wife JoAnn Wilson the previous year, and was sentenced to life in prison. The murder and the trial provoked a national media frenzy, and the once-prominent Saskatchewan politician was cast nationwide as a villain, the subject of numerous books and a CBC movie. Though Thatcher claimed innocence and his children agreed, few believed him. Now having served his 22-year sentence, Colin Thatcher offers his own account of what happened from the time of the murder up until his release from prison. Denied full disclosure during his trial, Thatcher now offers it to the public with evidence not seen in the trial, legal documents and personal correspondence. Part memoir, part crime expos', Final Appeal goes behind the bureaucratic red tape, ultimately questioning the public's faith in local law enforcement, the mainstream media, and the administration of justice in Canada.