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This video explains causes of wrongful convictions. Eye witness misidentification is the leading cause of wrongful convictions, because humans cannot recall memory accurately making it extremely difficult to actually get the right suspect and identify them. The second leading cause are faulty forensics or bad forensic science being used. This is because samples of the victim and samples of the crime seen are given to the scientist at the same time and asked for similarities to be identified. This unfortunately automatically allows for biases to enter the process, and as a result, inaccurate predictions are made from them.  Additionally, these experts have overconfidence in their findings even when there isn't enough statistical support. The third leading cause are false confessions. This is because after hours of being interrogated, subjects believe authorities are not going to believe them, therefore, give the false confession to leave the interrogation room. These subjects also believe the evidence is strong enough to know they did not commit the crime, therefore, even though they have confessed, they wouldn't be arrested. The fourth leading cause are incentivized witnesses. These witnesses are willing to lie as they are given something in return for their statement. This can include things such as early release from prison or dismissal of charges against them. The fifth and final cause are government misconduct or bad lawyering. This can include everything that was summarized above, as well as failure for the police to turn over evidence. Additionally, it can also include lawyers not doing full investigations into the claims of innocence made by the defendants. This video is extremely relevant to our case as the reason Clayton was charged with second degree murder was due to faulty forensics and government misconduct.

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The top 5 leading causes of wrongful convictions

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Clayton appeals his Conviction to the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal - 1994

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Clayton appeals his Conviction to the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal - 1994

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This article is the appeal that Clayton made on March 4, 1994.
The reasons for the appeal were as followed:
"The first is that the trial judge, Justice Saunders, erred in declaring the appellant's daughter, Darla Johnson, a Crown witness, to be adverse and thus permitting the Crown to cross‑examine her. The problem centered on whether she had made a previous inconsistent statement in a conversation with Claire Thompson, another Crown witness, by comparing her evidence at the preliminary inquiry to that given on a voir dire at trial".
This was the first step into proving Claytons innocence.

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1994 NSCA 79 (CanLII) | R. v. Johnson | CanLII

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Access all information related to judgment R. v. Johnson, 1994 NSCA 79 (CanLII) on CanLII.

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This is the application for judicial release in September of 1998 Clayton made with the help of the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted.
"Mr. Johnson's case has now been taken up by the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted, which made the application to the Minister under s. 690. The fresh evidence for which admittance will be sought consists of opinion evidence from eminent pathologists which concludes that Mrs. Johnson's injuries were consistent with a fall backwards down the basement steps in which her head became momentarily wedged between the steps and the concrete wall. That is, her death resulted from an accident, not a homicide. Some experts who testified at the trial have revised their opinions to agree with the theory of an accidental backwards fall. The crown has vigorously expressed concern as to the reliability of this evidence and in fairness, its time for rebutting it has been limited, but admissibility and credibility are for another day". It was proven that Mrs. Johnson's death was an accident and he would later be clear of murder.

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1998 NSCA 14 (CanLII) | R. v. Johnson | CanLII

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Access all information related to judgment R. v. Johnson, 1998 NSCA 14 (CanLII) on CanLII.

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Awarded Compensation for Wrongfully Conviction

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Awarded Compensation for Wrongfully Conviction

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This article summarizes the compensation that was awarded to Clayton Johnson as a result of his wrongful conviction. Clayton filed a lawsuit against the province, the RCMP and the Provincial Public Prosecution Service in 2002 and was given $2.5 million dollars by the Nova Scotia Government. This money was said to cover his legal fees, other expenses while being in prison for 5 years as well as compensation. The government and the legal system should adapt and change to ensure innocent individuals do not get punished. This article is relevant to our case as it highlights how these wrongful convictions cause so much financial strain on the system and how they take such a toll on our society.

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A man who spent five years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife has been awarded $2.5-million by the Nova Scotia government.

Justice Minister Michael Baker said yesterday that the money for Clayton Johnson of Shelburne, N.S., covers legal fees and other expenses as well as compensation.

"I'm pleased that we have been able to reach an amicable settlement," Mr. Baker said. "This is a fair agreement."

Mr. Johnson filed a lawsuit in August of 2002 against the province, the RCMP and the provincial Public Prosecution Service.

He was not available for comment, but his lawyer, Wylie Spicer, said his client is satisfied with the amount.

"When you look at Clayton's case, you say $2.5-million for five years is a fair and reasonable amount given all that he went through, and put against the backdrop of other people who have been in similar situations," Mr. Spicer said.

On Feb. 18, 2002, an appeal court overturned Mr. Johnson's 1993 conviction of first-degree murder and ordered a new trial. But later the same day the Crown decided against proceeding with another trial, saying there was no longer a realistic prospect of a conviction in the death of Janice Johnson.

Mrs. Johnson died Feb. 20, 1989, shortly after being found by a neighbour at the foot of the basement stairs in the couple's Shelburne-area home.

Her head injuries were attributed at first to a freak accident. But the RCMP reopened a criminal investigation in 1990 when it was revealed Mr. Johnson, a former high-school teacher, had taken out a $125,000 insurance policy on his wife and had started dating a 22-year-old whom he eventually married.

Dissenting views from pathologists examining Mrs. Johnson's death led to her husband's release on bail in September of 1998 after then Justice Minister Anne McLellan recommended that the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal hear new forensic opinions.

Two pathologists at Mr. Johnson's trial argued that a deadly beating with a baseball bat or two-by-four was the only conceivable explanation for the woman's injuries.

A Texas pathologist who received the original findings later suggested Mrs. Johnson died accidentally when she fell down the stairs backwards and struck her head.

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Wrongful conviction to cost $2.5-million

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A man who spent five years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife has been awarded $2.5-million by the Nova Scotia government. Justice Minister Michael Baker said yesterday that the money for Clayton Johnson of Shelburne, N.S., covers legal fees and other expenses as well as compensation.

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This video explains the Johnson family's story and how experts though Janice Johnson died on the steps on her basement. The video goes through several ways in which Janice could have fallen, starting with a forward fall that was predicted by Dr. Roland Perry who was the doctor that performed her autopsy after her death. Years later, when the case re-opened by the police, Clayton was charged with his wife's murder where he pleaded not Guilty. His new legal team, consisting of lawyers from the association of the wrongfully convicted had two points to prove to the judges to release Clayton. The first, to prove that Clayton was innocent, and second, to show how Janice really died. They started with reviewing the evidence with two new pathologists who both stated that if this was a bludgeoning death, there should have been defensive wounds seen on Janice. Next, they began to reconstruct the crime scene and came to the conclusion that Janice did not fall forward on the stairs, but rather, fell backwards. They recorded this new reconstruction, presented the evidence to the judges, and as a result, Clayton was finally released from prison.

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Forensic Files - Season 4, Episode 9 - Accident or Murder? - Full Episode

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This video talks about the events that occurred on the day of the murder and how Clayton was innocent this entire time. The video discusses how Janice had fallen and how there was no evidence to prove that Clayton used blood-force trauma to cause the injuries to Janice as they were inconsistent. The video also speaks about the timing of when the "murder" happened and how Clayton was nowhere near the house. There were several witness statements that they had seen Clayton make two stops on his way to his teaching job, one to pick up papers that flew out of his dashboard and the other to get gas. This proves that Clayton could not have been in two places at once, however, the police chose to ignore these eyewitnesses and continue to press that Clayton murdered his wife. The video also discusses how they pressure Tina, Clayton's new wife, to say that Clayton did it or she would be charged with accessory to murder. The police tried to scare her by showing her pictures of the crime scene and stating that "she could be next". Tina never falls for it as she knew that Clayton was innocent. The video ends with Clayton crying over the fact that his oldest daughter graduated high school without her parents present and that her youngest would also experience the same thing.

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

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This is a picture of RCMP officer Brian Oldford taken during an interview. Brian plays a huge role in this case as he is the officer that did further investigation in 1990 as he did not agree with the outcome of Clayton's trial. He began to re-interview Mary Davis and Mary Hartley, who were family friends with the Johnson's. The two were also the one's who cleaned the blood off of the floor to ensure other family members did not see it. He presented his findings to the Regional Forensic Pathology unit in Hamilton, ON where Dr. King determined Janice was hit in the head and killed which was inconsistent with original reports. This ultimately led to Clayton Johnson's arrest and charge of first degree murder.

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This is a picture of Janice Johnson taken from a family portrait. Janice is Clayton's wife and was said to be murdered by him. As the picture represents, Janice was far too young when she died. This picture is relevant to our case, as the case originates from her death.

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This is a Picture of Clayton Johnson during an interview where he stated he was innocent. This is a great picture representing how Clayton was feeling when he was accused of his wife's murder. We can see his facial expression represents sadness, pain and maybe even defeat. This picture directly relates to our case as it portrays one of the main characters.