Russell Woodhouse, an Indigenous Man, has his manslaughter conviction sent to the Manitoba Court of Appeal by Minister of Justice Sean Fraser more than 52 years after his arrest in 1973
More than 52 years ago on July 27, 1973, Russell Woodhouse, a young Indigenous man, and a member of the Pinaymootang First Nation on the Fairford Indian Reserve in Manitoba, was arrested for the murder of Mr. Ting Fong Chan in Winnipeg, a crime he did not commit. He was 19 years of age at the time. On March 5, 1974, more than 51 years ago, he was convicted of manslaughter by a jury in the Manitoba Queen’s Bench Court. He was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment which he served.
On May 21, 2011, Russell passed away at the age of 57.
On July 18, 2023, two of Mr. Woodhouse’s former co-accused, Brian Anderson and A.J. Woodhouse, convicted of murder at the same trial Russell was convicted, were vindicated in the King’s Bench Court by Chief Justice Joyal in Winnipeg. On October 3, 2024, Clarence Woodhouse, too convicted of murder, was also vindicated in the King’s Bench Court by Chief Justice Joyal.
On September 13, 2023, Innocence Canada filed an application with Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani for a ministerial review of Russell Woodhouse’s conviction pursuant to the provisions of the Criminal Code.
It was an unusual posthumous application on Russell’s behalf. Because he passed away on May 21, 2011, the application was filed on behalf of his surviving sister, Linda Anderson, a school teacher on the Fairford Reserve.
Russell Woodhouse had always proclaimed his innocence but no one listened to him. The prosecution’s case at his trial in 1974 depended on a “confession” that he was supposed to have made in fluent English, despite Saulteaux being the language he spoke. Russell testified that he was assaulted by members of the Winnipeg Police into signing a false confession, but the trial judge and an all-white jury disbelieved him. Innocence Canada adopted his case in 2023.
Today, Justice Minister Sean Fraser has used his ministerial powers to send Russell’s manslaughter conviction to the Manitoba Court of Appeal to be heard as a new appeal based on fresh evidence that his confession was extorted from him. This is the next step in what we hope will be Russell’s road to vindication. His case will be heard by the Manitoba Court of Appeal on a date yet to be determined.
Jerome Kennedy, a Director of Innocence Canada, who has led the case for Mr. Woodhouse’s vindication, said today:
“52 years has been an interminable wait for Russell’s family. Today will be an extraordinary day for them now that the Minister has ordered his case back to the courts where he was wrongly convicted.”
James Lockyer, another Director of Innocence Canada, who has also been working on Russell’s case, said today:
“Innocence Canada is privileged to be able to help Russell’s family. This is a first time that a Minister has found a miscarriage of justice to have occurred for a wrongly convicted person who has passed away. Despite Russell leaving this world 14 years ago, he has wonderful support from his family and friends who remember him. They all say it was Russell’s dream to be cleared of a terrible crime that he had nothing to do with. Today, that dream is much closer to becoming true.”
For further information, contact:
James Lockyer at 416-518-7983 or jlockyer@lzzdefence.ca
Jerome Kennedy at 709-725-2966 or jkennedy@makethecall.ca