The news of professional boxer and wrongly accused, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter’s recent death not only recalls his story, but also that of a Dalhousie alumnus who helped in his eventual release.

Carter was charged with the murder of three people, along with his acquaintance John Artis, despite passing a lie-detector test. Enter then 15-year-old Lesra Martin (LLB’97), living in Toronto in 1980 who took an interest in Carter’s case. Martin moved with his commune family to New Jersey to help Carter’s legal team prove his innocence. They uncovered irregularities that would lead to Carter’s freedom after he spent 19 years in prison.

Martin went on to study law at Dalhousie’s Schulich School of Law. He continues to practice as a civil lawyer in Kamloops, B.C.

Dal Magazine noted the connection in its summary of 15+ ways Dal has put Canada on the map.

Read the full story, “Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter dead at 76” on cbc.ca.

Photo credit: Matthew Sherwood for the Globe and Mail