When Elizabeth Bain disappeared on June 19, 1990, it wasn't long before her boyfriend, Robert Baltovich, became the Toronto homicide squad's prime suspect. Although there was evidence that pointed to the then-unknown Scarborough rapist (Paul Bernardo), the police were relentless in their pursuit of Baltovich. They secretly taped hundreds of Baltovich's conversations, but, in them, Baltovich confessed to nothing but his innocence. Elizabeth's body was never found and still, despite only circumstantial evidence, he was convicted of second-degree murder, and sentenced to life in jail.
On March 31, 2000, eight years to the day after his conviction, and eighteen months following the publication of Derek Finkle's book, Baltovich, with an enormous number of national and local media in attendance, was released on bail pending his appeal hearing. Finkle's update recounts what Baltovich has done with his life since then and what has happened with his case.
When it was first released, No Claim to Mercy was chosen as one of the Top 100 Books of 1998 by the Globe and Mail and was winner of the 1999 Crime Writer's Arthur Ellis Award for Best Non-Fiction. Baltovich's appeal in April 2004 is sure to spark renewed interest in this high-profile case.
