A True Crime Writer Unpacks a Gripping Story of Domestic Abuse, Murder, and Justice

In the fall of 2020, a Canadian farmer named Helen Naslund was sentenced to 18 years in prison for killing her violently abusive husband. 

That case and the lengthy sentence she received sparked tremendous outrage around Canada, and exposed serious issues with how the justice system in that country treats abused women.

Photo by The Globe and Mail

My guest, true crime journalist Jana G. Pruden, spoke to Naslund through multiple interviews and letters from prison. It was the first time Helen opened up publicly about what happened that fateful night and everything that came after.

Jana tells this story in harrowing detail both as a 4000-word feature in The Globe and Mail and in a podcast series called In Her Defence, which I highly recommend.

This is the second time Jana Pruden has been on the show. She is one of my favorite true crime writers working today. In this episode, she tells us the tragic story of Helen Naslund, what happened to her, and why she was driven to shoot her husband while he slept. She also talks about the epidemic of domestic abuse and how Helen’s story will hopefully help make a difference.