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Clayton Johnson was "lucky" that he did not need the support of Innocence Canada

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Clayton Johnson was "lucky" that he did not need the support of Innocence Canada

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The strength of the Canadian Justice System is that it recognizes that it makes mistakes. Unfortunately, a weakness is that it continues to make those mistakes. Unlike many other wrongly convicted people, Clayton was lucky enough to be successful in his subsequent lawsuit against the government. He did not require support from Innocence Canada. Innocence Canada is a Canadian, non-profit organization dedicated to identifying, advocating for, and exonerating individuals convicted of a crime that they did not commit. In addition, they work to prevent future injustices through legal education and reform.

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The case televised on an episode of Forensic Files. It takes a look at the community where the Johnson's lived. You will hear from Clayton's daughters, himself and various individuals involved in the case. The Johnson's talk about how they lived before, their lives after Janice's death and how they were forever changed by that dreadful day. The show also depicts how police believed Janice Johnson died.

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Medical Detectives (Forensic Files) - Season 4, Episode 9 - Accident or Murder?

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This is the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal that on February 18, 2002 quashed the conviction and ordered a new trial that would also include new evidence from other forensic experts. The crown decided not to enter any new evidence. Clayton was finally free.

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The federal justice minister asked the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal to review the case. It was also recommended by the justice minister that new forensic opinions be heard. Clayton Johnson not only served time for a crime he did not commit but also for a crime that did not happen.

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Once freed Johnson worked very hard to make a better life for himself and his children. Unfortunately, just when things finally were going well for him an illness took his life on September 20, 2017 at the age of 71.

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Clayton Johnson, who spent five years in prison wrongly convicted of the murder of his wife, has died.

Johnson was a former teacher and carpenter. He died last week at the age of 71, according to an obituary posted on the website for H.M. Huskilson's Funeral Homes and Crematorium Ltd.

Johnson's wife, Janice, died after a fall down the stairs in the family home in 1989. Johnson was accused of beating her to death, was convicted of murder in 1993 and was sent to prison.

He maintained he was innocent throughout.

The road to freedom

He appealed his conviction, but in 1994 the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal refused to overturn it. A year later, the Supreme Court of Canada declined to the hear the case.

Things started to turn around for Johnson in 1998 when he and the Association in the Defence of the Wrongly Convicted submitted an application to Canada's Department of Justice to revisit the case. On the same day, the CBC program The Fifth Estate aired an investigative documentary on Johnson's conviction.

Release from prison

By September of 1998, Johnson was freed after several pathologists concluded his wife's death was the result of a freak accidental fall that resulted in massive fatal head injuries.

However, it took until Feb. 18, 2002, for the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal to overturn the original conviction and order a new trial. There was never a new trial and Johnson was a free man.

Johnson then launched a lawsuit against the provincial government to claim damages for wrongful arrest and imprisonment. He was awarded $2.5 million in compensation.

Life after prison

Once out of prison, Johnson ran a contracting business until he retired. His obituary said he had a passion for woodworking and carpentry.

Johnson is survived by his daughters and grandchildren. His obituary states the was a kind, loving and compassionate man who had a deep faith in God. It also said he enjoyed spending time with family and friends, sharing laughs, playing cards and watching baseball.

The obituary said Johnson suffered from an illness before he died, but didn't say what that illness was.

A funeral for Johnson will be held at H.M. Huskilson's Funeral Home in Shelburne on Saturday at 2 p.m.

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Shelburne man, wrongly convicted of wife's murder, dies | CBC News

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Clayton Johnson, who spent five years in prison wrongly convicted of the murder of his wife, has died. Johnson was a former teacher and carpenter. He died last week at the age of 71, according to an obituary posted on the website for H.M. Huskilson's Funeral Homes and Crematorium Ltd.

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This video published by the Fifth Estate digs deep into the case of Clayton Johnson. It reveals how a small tight knit community and their assumptions and rumors led to the re-opening of an investigation and changing stories that eventually convicted an innocent man.

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Clayton Johnson wrongful murder conviction : Tide of Suspicion (1998) - The Fifth Estate

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Johnson is all smiles outside a courtroom after his acquittal on February 18, 2002. He is pictured with his two daughters.

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A picture taken shorty before the death of Janice Johnson shows a happy family.

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National Post Reports on Johnson's Acquittal

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National Post Reports on Johnson's Acquittal

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This was an article posted by the National Post on February 18, 2002 following Johnson's conviction being quashed by the Nova Scotia Court of Appeals. The court acceded to the prosecution's request that Johnson be acquitted. He is shown in the picture getting support from Joyce Milguaard, David Milquaard's mother. David Milguaard was also wrongfully convicted of murder.

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19 Feb 2002, 3 - National Post at Newspapers.com

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Read this first ! It outlines the details of Clayton Johnson's case and how circumstances led to Clayton's arrest and subsequent wrongful conviction.