FOG BLOG CANADA NEWS LOG: DAVID MILGAARD , WRONGFULLY JAILED FOR 2 DECADES FOR MURDER , DEAD AT 69!

David Milgaard's sudden death a 'gut punch,' also a rallying cry for justice, Manitoba friends say Former lawyer, friend call on Ottawa to establish independent body to assess wrongful convictions Manitobans who worked closely with David Milgaard over the years are mourning the longtime justice advocate's untimely death at the age of 69.

The Winnipeg-born man spent 23 years in Stony Mountain Institution for a rape and murder he did not commit and died in a Calgary hospital this weekend, a source close to the family confirmed.

• A life 'defined by something he didn't do': David Milgaard, wrongfully convicted of murder, dies at 69

David Asper started his career as a criminal defence attorney in 1986. His first major case was representing Milgaard, and they remained friends long after he was exonerated.

Asper spoke to Milgaard's family on Sunday morning and heard about his sudden death, news that Asper described as a "gut punch"

"It filled my heart with joy to see him as a free person. Needless to say, it's a really tough day today," Asper said. Retired CBC Manitoba journalist Cecil Rosner, the co-author of When Justice Fails: The David Milgaard Story, said the man was an advocate until his last days.

Milgaard and Rosner last spoke on Thursday, and talked about two Keeseekoose women who were given life sentences for a crime they say they never committed.

In 1994, Odelia and Nerissa Quewezance were convicted of second-degree murder after the 1993 homicide of a 70-year-old farmer, Anthony Joseph Dolff, who was from the area of Kamsack, Sask. For the past 28 years, the women have proclaimed their innocence and say they were wrongfully convicted. Milgaard was part of the movement to have their convictions overturned.

Rosner admired Milgaard for his resilience in the face of so many challenges.

"He had a rough time after he got out ... I don't know how you can lead a normal life after spending so many years in jail at such a young age. But even so, he overcame a lot of that and did a lot of really useful things in his life after that," he said.