Robert William Latimer was born on March 13, 1953, and spent most of his life as a wheat and canola farmer near Wilkie, Saskatchewan, Canada. He lived with his wife Laura and their four children on a 1,280‑acre (520 ha) family farm. By all accounts, the Latimer family lived a quiet rural life and were deeply devoted to one another — until the circumstances surrounding the care of their daughter, Tracy, led to one of Canada’s most controversial legal cases.

Tracy Lynn Latimer was born on November 23, 1980, but her life was forever altered at birth when an interruption in oxygen supply caused severe cerebral palsy. This resulted in profound physical and intellectual disabilities: Tracy could not walk or talk, had little voluntary muscle control, and required assistance with every aspect of daily life. She experienced violent seizures managed by medication and wore incontinence pants throughout her life. Despite her condition, doctors described the family’s caregiving as exemplary.

Medical records and court testimony confirmed that Tracy lived with significant chronic pain, particularly due to a dislocated hip that caused agony with even minimal movement. Because of potential drug interactions with her anti-seizure medications, options for pain management were severely limited. While a feeding tube might have allowed stronger painkillers, the Latimers declined that option, fearing it would diminish her quality of life further.

Tracy underwent numerous medical interventions, including tendon-lengthening surgeries, spinal procedures to address scoliosis, and other operations to manage her condition. Another major hip surgery was scheduled for November 1993, one that would require a long, painful recovery and likely necessitate further future operations. 

On the morning of October 24, 1993, while his wife and other children were at church, Robert Latimer placed 12‑year‑old Tracy in the cab of his pickup truck. He then attached a hose from the exhaust pipe, allowing carbon monoxide to fill the cabin. When his wife returned home, she found Tracy dead. At first, Latimer claimed she had died peacefully in her sleep, but autopsy results revealed high levels of carbon monoxide in her blood. Confronted with the evidence, he confessed.

Latimer admitted that he had considered several methods to end Tracy’s life — including a Valium overdose or even a gunshot — before settling on carbon monoxide poisoning. He described his decision as an act of love meant to free his daughter from relentless pain. To him, the surgeries she had endured and those planned for her future were “mutilation and torture.” He stated that he could not bear to watch her suffer any longer.

Latimer was charged with first-degree murder but ultimately convicted of second-degree murder, receiving a mandatory life sentence with no parole eligibility for 10 years. He appealed the verdict to the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal and later to the Supreme Court of Canada, but both upheld the conviction. However, a new trial was ordered in 1997 after evidence surfaced that the original Crown prosecutor had attempted jury tampering.

The second trial again resulted in a conviction for second-degree murder. The presiding judge attempted to grant Latimer a constitutional exemption from the mandatory minimum sentence, reducing it to one year in prison and one year probation. This decision was overturned on appeal, and the Supreme Court ultimately ruled in 2001 that the mandatory minimum sentence was neither cruel nor unusual under Section 12 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The Court also rejected the defense of “necessity,” finding that Latimer’s actions were not legally justifiable. It further clarified that Canadian law does not recognize “jury nullification” — the idea that a jury can refuse to convict based on compassion.