The Boy on the Bicycle
A Forgotten Case of Wrongful Conviction in Toronto
- Publisher
- Dundurn Press
- Initial publish date
- Jul 2021
- Category
- Serial Killers
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781459749122
- Publish Date
- Jul 2021
- List Price
- $9.99
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Description
On the night of September 15, 1956, a seven-year-old child was murdered on the deserted grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto. The main suspect was a teenage boy seen near the crime scene on a bicycle.
Toronto police arrested Ron Moffatt, a fourteen-year-old former CNE employee who vaguely fit the description of the suspect. During a tough interrogation, Ron falsely confessed and was convicted at trial.
In truth, Ron couldn’t ride a bicycle and was innocent; his phony admission was the product of fear and pressure tactics. The real culprit — sex offender and serial killer Peter Woodcock — remained at large, preying on new victims.
This shocking story has eerie parallels to the Steven Truscott case (which also involved a fourteen-year-old Ontario boy accused of murder) but has been largely forgotten until now.
A powerful account about a coerced confession, a fumbled police investigation and the crusading lawyer who fought to free Ron from custody.
About the author
Nate Hendley was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1966 but grew up in Waterloo, ON. From 1985 – 1989, he attended Trent University in Peterborough, ON, and graduated with an Honours BA in Cultural Studies.In 1991 he returned to school to study journalism at Conestoga College in Kitchener, ON. Shortly thereafter, he began freelancing. Since the early 1990s, Nate has written hundreds of news articles, features, profiles, investigative pieces, advertorials, corporate stories and public relations items.His writing credits include The National Post, The Globe and Mail, Marketing Magazine, eye weekly, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Journal, etc. He is particularly adept at writing about political, social and cultural issues, automotive, high-tech and business topics and health-related concerns. In addition to his work as a journalist, he is a published author, formerly with Altitude Publishing, and now with Five Rivers.Nate is the Ontario Regional Director of the Professional Writers Association of Canada. PWAC is a national organization that represents the interests of freelance writers.
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