Real Justice: Fourteen and Sentenced to Death - The Story of Steven Truscott

Lorimer Real Justice

by Bill Swan

At fourteen, Steve Truscott was a typical teenager in rural Ontario in the fifties, mainly concerned about going fishing, playing football, and racing bikes with his friends. One summer evening, his twelve-year-old classmate, Lynne Harper, asked for a lift to the nearby highway on his bicycle and Steve agreed. Unfortunately, that made Steve the last person known to see Lynne alive.

His world collapsed around him when he was arrested and then convicted of killing Lynne Harper. The penalty at the time was death by hanging. Although the sentence was changed to life in prison, Steve suffered for years behind bars for a murder he didn't commit. When his case gained national attention, the Supreme Court of Canada reviewed the evidence―and confirmed his conviction.

It took over forty years and a determination to prove his innocence for him to finally clear his name. He has since received an apology and compensation for his ordeal.

In this book, young readers will discover how an innocent boy was presumed guilty by the justice system, and how in the end, that same justice system, prodded by Truscott and his lawyers, was able to acknowledge the terrible wrong done to him.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Canada

152 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2012

Reviews

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book was breathtaking. I can now undersatnd how people feel when they are sentanced for a crime that they did not commite. I understand that the parents of the victim want the murderer to be caught but they cant just jump to conclusions. This book opened my eyes to what is happening, and that people are being blamed for crimes that they did not commite. It really opens your eyes to how wrong the justice system can be.

[Anastasia202 · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Steve Truscott became the youngest Canadian in history to be sentenced to death by hanging
So much for mercy." A 14-year-old young boy gets a horrible verdict to be hanged in the winter,
for a crime he didn't even commit! Steven Truscott is a normal teenage boy, who loves
sports, and is the best athlete at his school. He is friendly, kind and helpful...so how
could a boy with this positive attitude murder a classmate in the woods? Even the fact
that Steve is so considerate and has good relationships with everyone, did not serve of much
important to the police and higher authority. The final verdict happens
years after the actual crime, which could've been done by anyone, except Steve. This huge event in the Canadian justice and legal system is one that modified the Canadian law and policies, sometimes in bad ways, sometimes in good ways.

This statement is one of the concluding statements of 'Fourteen and Sentenced to Death."
"You are free. No more parole. You've been acquitted by the court."
I loved this book and gave it a 4-star rating because it included all of the details throughout
the trial and Steve's life within those horrible years. But...there is one little but big thing
that would give this novel a 5-star rating (in my opinion). Emotion. Feelings. The heart and
soul of the victim, who in this case, is Steve Truscott. As James Allen quoted," The man sooner
or later discovers that he is the master-gardener of his soul, the director of his life." If Steve does not find a way to get out of prison and prove to the police that he isn't the criminal, he'll be sentenced to spend life in prison. He is the only one who can find his own future. Steve is the composer of his life, and he has to give it all he has to escape a horrible death.
I think this novel could've been better by precisely depicting the feelings of all the witnesses,
those involved in the trial and in Steve's life, and Steve himself, the protagonist of a huge
change in the Canadian law and government rules.

Just remember, "Every moment and every event of every man's life on earth plants something in
his soul." Everything, both little and big that happens in your life, is a symbol of
your attitude and character. And to gain the good character of true mankind, every one of us
is forced to face challenges that seem to be tall for our height. But we have to learn to
maintain our unique character to pass through even the most catastrophic and depressing
moments of life. Just like Steve Truscott did.

[Pam Camel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of a series of YA books about people who have been wrongfully charged and found guilty of crimes. They are written in a way that is easily understood by younger readers. The books also include a glossary to define legal terminology used. This story was about Steven who was a fourteen year old on of a enlisted man in the Canadian Air Force. He was accused of murdering and raping a classmate. The book uses court documents and witness testimony to lay out the trial, convection, and eventual acquittal of Steven.
This is written age appropriate focusing on the trial but staying away from any gruesome descriptions.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very disturbing account of injustice in the 1950s. It will appeal to kids who like CSI type shows though is more about the incompetence of cops and lawyers than about the actual crime scene type investigation. The facts of the incompetence will be appealing to some just to refute adult infallibility. Throughout you are left with a sense of incredulity. He was sentenced to hang by an apparently crazy judge who wasn't even listening to the witnesses. I found myself thinking that this kind of incompetence wouldn't happen here or now.

[Celina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is captivating story. I'm amazed. It really changes your view on the justice system. I can't believe how long it took to clear his name. Now I wonder just how many people have been accused guilty and are completely innocent. Read it and see how outraged and speechless you'll be.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart-renching Brilliance. Proof that the court system can be manipulated at the expense of a 14 year old boy tried as an adult..

[Martha Bere · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good biography with Canadian content for kids & teens. I was unfamiliar with the story, although my parents remember it vividly. It was interesting to read a piece of local history.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars for the story. The injustice in this case was crazy. Never heard of this book but found it at a library sale for 50 cents. Good fast read. Passing it on to my son to read.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I live close to where this happened, so it was of particular interest to me. Very easy to picture the actual spots where all the events took place.

This book is meant for grade 7 to 12, so it is a very quick read just over 100 and some pages. It still read like a page turner and could quite easily be read in a single sitting. Even though it explained things that would be obvious to most adults I still enjoyed it. This story is unsettling in how prosecutors are so desirous of finding a villain that they will do anything to achieve that goal. Steven Truscott's life was in turmoil for over 40 years and even though the 6.5 million compensation package eases some of the pain, he can never get those 40 some years back. Can you imagine what it must have been like to be innocent, 14 years old, and sentenced to hang. Unbelievable!

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was filled to the rim with injustice. I thought that this informational novel would be more about the crime of Lynne Harper, but it was more about the legal system in canada and how unfair it was in the 1900's. When i read this book, i was shocked at how long it took steven to prove to the justice system, that he was not the one who commited the murder of Lynne Harper.

[Mikayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story that makes you think about what was going through peoples heads while this was going on. Its hard to believe that it took almost 60 years to finally clear his name. I guess this is considered being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Overall this is a good book that is hard to put down.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

For my April book, I chose Real Justice: Fourteen and Sentenced to Death, The Story of Steven Truscott. This book is short & concise, it’s a quick easy read. The book deals with the story in a fair way, but a lot of detail is left out; you will know the story and how it ends, but not necessarily how it got there. For someone who may want the short version of events, this book delivers. I was looking for a fast read about a Canadian true crime, and this was more about the miscarriage of justice against Steven Truscott, rather than the crime itself. A good read & age appropriate for younger readers as it leaves out a lot of the gruesome details of the crime against the victim, Lynne Harper. I’d recommend this book for someone newly interested in non-fiction (true Canadian crime), I give it 3 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Kayleigh Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
A very interesting topic and case. This is a great read for a mature student (grade 10/11) who has a lower reading level ability. I will definitely keep this book in mind for the future. The story is so interesting itself and I really appreciated the terms at the back of the novel (again ideal for someone in a classroom setting). The pictures included also sparked engagement. I’ll be thinking about this story for awhile.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story that shouldn't of happened to a 14 years old but should be told. Happy for him that he was acquitted but can't image what he went through all these years. But the question is who killed Lynne Harper and will there ever be justice for the Haprper family.

[Ruth E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an interesting book. It mainly covered the facts of the case, not the emotions or feelings of the characters which made it less engaging. But it was an interesting story about how the justice system is sometimes used in a cavalier way when "they" think they know who the culprit is.

[A]

- fast read
- WTF is the justice system

[Ruth Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been intrigued and infuriated by the Steven Truscott story since the 70s. Swan has crafted an excellent narrative that combines courtroom testimony and dedicated research to bring this story to younger readers. But it is not just for young readers -- it is a great introduction for any reader to the tangled mess of wrongs piled upon wrongs that led to a 14-year-old boy being sentenced to hang. The topic is tough and some of the details are hard to take, but Swan is careful in what and how he reveals. And many adults do not stand up well to Swan's scrutiny.

That Steven Truscott came out all of all this and managed to build a normal life after his release gives us all hope in the human spirit.

It is a cautionary tale for teens and young adults. Know your rights -- and not all adults are smart or compassionate; that doesn't mean you don't have to be, as well.

Bravo to Bill Swan for a great read and bravo to the youngsters who stuck to their stories and told the truth even in the face of adult intimidation. Eventually, it made all the difference in the life of Steven Truscott.

[Gabrielle Prendergast · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lorimer, who published my book WICKET SEASON also publishes this series about real cases of people falsely accused and convicted of murder. This one is particularly harrowing because it is clear from the outset that the boy accused, Steve Truscott, could not have committed the crime. One of the most disturbing this aspects of this case is that two of Steve’s classmates made up stories making him look guilty, seemingly for no other reason than to get attention. Lorimer tells me this series has been hugely popular and I’m not surprised. Short, but packed with detail, this emotional book was impossible to put down. In a publishing world desperately short of meaningful non fiction for kids and teens (Justin Beiber biographies don’t count), the Real Justice series is a welcome addition.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that was written for teens that every Canadian should read. No justice system is flawless & hiding our heads in the sand does not change facts. It IS possible to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. What if this was you? What if this was your child?

Justice Hall, one of eight Supreme Court judges on the case when Steven was twenty-one years old, wrote: "This trial was not conducted according to law. There were grave errors in the trial. Nothing has transpired on the hearing in this court or any evidence tendered before this court can be used to give validity to what was an invalid trial."

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

They are quick reads, yet the fact that they are so short leads to a lower rating for me. There were too many things that were brought up yet never talked about, including how they were handled in court, if even at all.

The only two stories I read (out of 6) were the result of poorly obtained evidence and a tainted political system. I feel like I need to read other stories of the legal system actually doing the job they were created to do. They were interesting and disturbing all at the same time.

P.S. based on a note I got from this, I simply do not have enough evidence to know if they are guilty or not. All I have is the information the book gave me.

[Glenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book deftly and sensitively takes a young adult reader through the case of Stephen Truscott, a young man who was sentenced to hang in 1959 at the age of 14 for a murder he did not commit. It shows how the justice system failed him and in spite of evidence emerging many years earlier that cast serious doubt on his guilt, he was only relatively recently fully exonerated. The book is one of the Ontario Library Association's 2013 Red Maple selections. (Grade 7-8)

[OhWell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A chilling and hard to forget account of how easy it is for the justice system to destroy lives... I had heard of the Steven Truscott story, but did not know the details. It is beyond belief that a fourteen year old boy could have been convicted on such flimsy evidence. I am thinking of the target audience for this book, it being a Red Maple selection: thirteen and fourteen year olds, the same age as Steven Truscott and the kids who were witnesses at his trial...

[Claytonthegreat · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a decent book about this poor kid that got sentenced to death for a crime he did not comitt (sexual asault and murder)i thought this book was great for a crime book. And it showed how speding rumers can hurt people or almost get them killed, and how wrong the justice system really is. SO basicly it was an interesting book with facts and story

[Victoria Cowden-moyneur · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read many accounts of Steven Truscott's life and find this one, 'as told to Bill Trent' to be the best of them. I wish they had told us more about Steven's life after he got out of jail, but his account of his time served is very interesting and captures the reader quickly.

[Kat Drennan-Scace · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really interesting (and quick) read. I suspect it will appeal to grade 6-8 boys, especially. The author is careful to outline all the law-esque speak and moves the book along nicely. Really good narrative non-fic. Would probably read/rec more from this series.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I though this book was very surprising. i did not expect the book to be like that, its a book i felt was very hard to put down.

[Whisper Poet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will get your emotions raring!

[Ayub · Rating 5 out of 5]

want to read it

[Erinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story that I didn't know too much about. Simplistic read.

[Barbara McVeigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great hi-lo read for junior high school students. Publisher also provides a resource guide.