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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Murder |
Sentence: |
Life Imprisonment |
Years Imprisoned: |
10 |
Year Crime: |
1975 |
Year Convicted: |
1975 |
Year Cleared: |
2008 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
Canada |
County or Region of Crime: |
New Brunswick |
City of Crime: |
Saint John |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated |
Summary of Case: |
"Erin Walsh was wrongly convicted of shooting a man with a shotgun who was riding in his car in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. Walsh was sentenced to life in prison. Walsh became the first person to have his conviction quashed by the New Brunswick Court of Appeals. In March 2008 Walsh's conviction was quashed based on the prosecution's concealment of police reports that two men were overhead by the police planning how they were going to frame Walsh for the murder that was convicted by one of the men. Walsh filed a civil suit against the province of New Brunswick and the city of Sant John seeking $50 million in compensation for his wrongful conviction. On October 16, 2009 New Brunswick Justice Minister Michael Murphy released a statement that a settlement with Walsh had been reached, but financial details were not disclosed. The statement stated in part, "The province acknowledges and agrees ... that a miscarriage of justice may have occurred respecting the 1975 conviction because of the timeliness, processes and procedures of the day. The province and the city have therefore agreed to pay compensation to Mr. Walsh and his wife," Walsh died in October 2010." |
Conviction Caused By: |
Police and prosecutor misconduct of concealing exculpatory statements by the man who actually committed the crime. |
Innocence Proved By: |
Walsh became the first person to have his conviction quashed by the New Brunswick Court of Appeals. In March 2008 Walsh's conviction was quashed based on the prosecution's concealment of police reports that two men were overhead by the police planning how they were going to frame Walsh for the murder that was convicted by one of the men. |
Defendant Aided By: |
Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted |
Compensation Awarded: |
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Was Perpetrator Identified? |
Yes |
Age When Imprisoned: |
26 |
Age When Released: |
36 |
Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
White |
Information Source 1: |
"N.B. court overturns dying man's 1975 murder conviction, CBC News, March 14, 2008" |
Information Location 1: |
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2008/03/14/walsh-review.html?ref=rss |
Information Source 2: |
"If justice fails - Erin Walsh case, The Fifth Estate, CBC News, October 17, 2007" |
Information Location 2: |
http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/ifjusticefails/ |
Information Source 3: |
"N.B. settles Walsh wrongful conviction lawsuit, CBC News, October 16, 2009" |
Information Location 3: |
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2009/10/16/nb-walsh-settlement-230.html |
Information Source 4: |
"Erin Walsh case profile, By Sarah Harland-Logan, AIDWYC website (Toronto, Canada)" |
Information Location 4: |
http://aidwyc.createtoconvert.com/cases/historical/erin-walsh/ |
Information Source 5: |
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Comments About Case: |
Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org