Walter Gillespie, left, and Robert Mailman pose in the south-end neighbourhood where they grew up in Saint John, N.B., on Aug. 18, 2020.Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press
One of two New Brunswick men recently acquitted of a 1983 murder for which they served lengthy prison terms says he appreciates the prime minister’s interest in the case.
Robert Mailman, who has terminal liver cancer and is 76, says he hopes Justin Trudeau follows through with what he announced at a Wednesday news conference.
Trudeau said in Saint John, N.B., that the federal government is reviewing the men’s case and taking their situation “extremely seriously.”
Mailman and Walter Gillespie, 80, spent nearly 40 years under a cloud of a murder charge and are seeking compensation to live the rest of their days in peace.
The prime minister didn’t give details but said federal Justice Minister Arif Virani was seized with the case and would be looking at different options regarding compensating the two men.
Chief Justice Tracey DeWare of New Brunswick’s Court of King’s Bench called their 1984 convictions a miscarriage of justice when she declared the men innocent in the first week of January.