I am a lover of true crime stories, but to be honest I have put off reading No Claim to Mercy: The Controversial Case for Murder Against Robert Baltovich by Derek Finkle for almost a decade.

The crime itself, the murder of Elizabeth Bain hit very close to home at the time. Liz or Lisa Bain as she was also called was not only my age (we were both born in 1967) but I lived at Morningside & Ellesmere Ave in Toronto at the time, about 5 minutes away from where she had lived with her parents.

We did not know Elizabeth or her family personally, but her disappearance was chilling, and my now ex volunteered during two of the searches for her in Morningside Park. The bridge pictured in the book cover above was one that I had personally crossed on many occasions.

Just this past month Robert Baltovich, Elizabeth's boyfriend at the time was cleared of all murder charges against him. He has spent the past 18 years fighting to prove his innocence.

Here is a news snippet:

Robert Baltovich walked out of court Tuesday a free man, following a nearly 20 year ordeal in which he served eight years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend Elizabeth Bain.

Within an hour of the start of his retrial on a charge of second-degree murder, the Ontario man was found not guilty. The Crown told the court it didn't have any evidence and wasn't planning to bring forward any witnesses, which led to the jury's decision.

The soft-spoken Baltovich called it an "unbelievable relief" outside court.

Complete New Article Here

While I am left to wonder how an innocent man can be charged, and convicted of a crime he did not commit, my heart also goes out to the family of Elizabeth Bain who over the past 18 years have had no closure if that is even possible, and most certainly no peace. I cannot even begin to fathom what they have been through, and continue to suffer because of this horrendous crime.

It is now known that Paul Bernardo a serial rapist, and school girl sex killer lived in the same area of Scarborough at the same time. Did he murder Elizabeth Bain? When questioned the killer says no...but a pack of his brand of cigarettes were found in her car. Both Robert, and Elizabeth were non-smokers.

The book will most certainly offer no clue as to what really happened on that fateful afternoon of June 19, 1990, but what I hope it will do is give me some insight into how our Canadian justice system failed all of those involved.

I picked it up yesterday, and began to read it. I'll let you know what I think.............

Rest In Peace Elizabeth.