Wrongfully Yours

Civil rights lawyer Deborah Francois and Kelly talk about a surprising and troubling theme that runs through wrongful conviction cases: luck. How often does freedom come down not just to evidence, but to fortune, chance, or serendipity? Check out this trailer. Full episode of Wrongfully Yours available August 4. Be sure to follow us and subscribe so you don’t miss it when it drops!  https://pod.li...

30 years. 3 decades. 360 months. 10,950 days. Over 15 million minutes. That’s how long Clifford Jones spent in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. In this preview of our next episode, civil rights lawyer Deborah Francois and I reflect on what those 30 years mean. They're not just a number. They represent a lifetime of change lost to wrongful conviction. Check out this trailer. Full episode o...

Sometimes, the path to wrongful conviction work isn’t planned. It finds you. In the next episode of Wrongfully Yours, civil rights lawyer Deborah Francois shares how she “fell into” the world of exonerations while working on the case of Clifford Jones, a man wrongfully convicted in 1981. Check out this trailer. Full episode of Wrongfully Yours out August 4. Be sure to follow us and subscribe so yo...

Leslie Vass was just 17 years old when he was wrongfully convicted and sent to prison. What followed was not only years of incarceration, but decades of ongoing harm through denied accountability, incomplete expungement, and the lasting impact on his family. In this powerful follow up conversation, Leslie shares how his innocence was uncovered, why exoneration did not bring freedom, and what it tr...

After spending 10 years wrongfully incarcerated, Leslie Vass was granted a full, unconditional pardon and promised compensation. What followed instead was delay, political interference, and the stripping away of what he was owed while his criminal record remained.  This episode confronts the uncomfortable truth that even when innocence is acknowledged, justice is not guaranteed. Listen July 21 whe...

What happens after a wrongful conviction is overturned, but the record remains? In this episode, Leslie Vass explains why a full pardon did not bring the freedom he expected, and how a conviction can continue to haunt someone for decades. This conversation explores a truth that is often overlooked: exoneration and expungement are not the same thing.  Listen July 21 wherever you get you podcasts ht...

After seven years behind bars, Leslie Vass was approached by a fellow incarcerated man who told him something that would change everything: the police had mistaken Leslie for someone else. What followed was a fragile thread of truth, deep mistrust of a legal system that had already failed him, and a photograph that could finally expose a devastating error. In this episode, Leslie reflects on wrong...

In this powerful conversation, Leslie Vass shares how a routine trip to a neighborhood store at age 17 turned into a wrongful conviction that cost him decades of his life. Arrested based on a vague identification, denied meaningful legal representation, and sentenced as an adult, Leslie walks us through the moments where the system failed him again and again. This episode sheds light on eyewitness...

Leslie Vass remembers walking into the courtroom and sitting down only to learn, moments later, who had accused him. He had never seen the victim before. During the arrest, his face was pressed to a wall. A voice said he “looked like” the robber. That was all. In this episode, Leslie reflects on the shock of realizing how little identification it took to put his life on trial, and how powerless a...

Coming July 7 on Wrongfully Yours When coworkers of the victim told the state’s attorney they knew Leslie Vass and that he was not one of the men who committed the robbery, the response was chillingly simple: they would no longer be needed as witnesses. In this episode, Leslie recounts a moment when exculpatory eyewitnesses were dismissed because they contradicted the narrative already in place. I...

When Leslie Vass met the attorney assigned to defend him, something immediately felt wrong. The lawyer didn’t ask questions about the case. He didn’t want details. He wanted payment and told Leslie not to worry, because he was the one with the law degree. In this episode, Leslie reflects on being 17 years old, facing trial just months after his arrest, and realizing too late that his defense wasn’...

The latest episode of Wrongfully Yours is a moment to pause and reflect. Kelly revisits some of the powerful conversations from January to June, weaving together stories of injustice, resilience, and systemic failure. This isn’t just a recap. It’s a call to action. Wrongful convictions aren’t isolated errors; they’re the result of deep-rooted patterns.  Subscribe on your favourite platform to list...

We often celebrate the resilience of people who have been wrongfully convicted. But what does it say about our justice system when that level of resilience is required just to be heard? This episode reflects on the people who have shared their stories on this podcast and the enduring belief that change is possible. Meaningful reform is not inevitable. It depends on our willingness to listen, learn...

In our next episode, we take a step back to reflect on the powerful conversations we’ve had so far. These stories aren’t just individual tragedies; they reveal deep patterns and urgent questions. What does justice require of us? How do we respond with more than sympathy, but with action, with accountability, with hope? Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and join us on June 23 for a moment of...

In the first part of our conversation, Monique shared what it was like, as a 13-year-old, to watch the chaos unfold when her family friend, Ron Dalton, was wrongfully convicted of murder. Now, in this follow-up episode, Monique reflects on how growing up so close to injustice shaped her understanding of fairness, empathy, and the true cost of a broken system. But this story is about more than just...

Exoneration is often seen as the end of the story, but in reality, it's just the beginning. In this episode, we explore what really happens after the prison doors swing open. There’s no support plan, no transition program, and no guarantee of compensation. Monique and Kelly unpack the hard truth: those who are wrongfully convicted are often left with nothing but trauma and a system that’s qui...

The next episode of Wrongfully Yours isn't just about wrongful convictions. It’s about judgment and what happens when we choose compassion instead. Monique reflects on the quiet strength she witnessed growing up: families who didn’t turn away in the face of scandal, pressure, or pain. She also reminds us how often we judge based on the “Instagram version” of people’s lives without asking: Wha...

“I want to look past the headlines… What’s the real story? What are we not hearing?” In this thoughtful episode, Kelly and Monique continue their conversation and Monique reflects on how her early experience with Ron Dalton’s wrongful conviction has shaped how she views the world and the media today. Her reflections remind us why wrongful convictions are never just one person’s tragedy. In this ep...

In this powerful episode of Wrongfully Yours, Kelly speaks with Monique, who was just 13 when Ron Dalton was accused of murdering his wife. As a family friend of Ron’s sister and brother-in-law, Monique grew up adjacent to a wrongful conviction and bore witness to the emotional chaos and social stigma from a unique vantage point. She shares: What it was like to be a teen watching a family trying t...

At just 13 years old, Monique was trying to process a tragedy no child should have to. With Ron Dalton jailed in Newfoundland and his three young children suddenly in the care of her family friends in PEI, she found herself consumed with questions: Where would everyone sleep? Would there be a funeral? Would he be allowed to attend? This episode explores the emotional and logistical ripple effects...

As a teenager, Monique found herself on the edge of something she knew was far from normal. A family suddenly doubling in size, now raising six children. A man accused of murder granted bail and living just down the road. And a community quietly trying to hold itself together. This episode offers a rare perspective from someone who watched the fallout of Ron Dalton’s wrongful conviction unfold fro...

At just 13 years old, Monique was suddenly pulled into a world of grief, shock, and uncertainty. In this episode, she reflects on how her family friends, who were already raising three young kids, took in three more, after Ron Dalton was wrongfully jailed for the death of his wife. This is a story about the ripple effects of wrongful convictions on children, on families, and on entire communities....

In this emotional continuation of Wrongfully Yours, Linda Gallant shares more of her family's journey through the trauma of her brother Ron Dalton’s wrongful conviction. This episode dives deeper into: The long-term emotional strain on families  The relentless resilience needed to survive the justice system  Why advocacy isn’t a choice, it’s a necessity Wrongful convictions don’t just happen...

Ron Dalton survived one of the most well-known wrongful convictions in Canadian history, but he didn’t stop there. In this powerful episode, his sister Linda Gallant reflects on the toll his incarceration took on their family, and how Ron now channels that pain into advocacy through his work with Innocence Canada. Join the conversation by subscribing and following us on your favourite platform. ht...

What does it say about a justice system when, more than a decade later, police show up at a school to question a child about the night her mother died - a child who had already lost everything? In this emotional episode, Linda Gallant recounts the moment Ron’s daughter, who was 16 years old at the time, was approached by RCMP investigators at school, and the strength it took to say No. Subscribe a...