A third Indigenous man convicted of a slaying in Winnipeg in 1974 has had the judgment quashed.
Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani announced Tuesday that Clarence Woodhouse’s conviction has been voided under a section of the Criminal Code that allows the federal attorney general to review claims of wrongful conviction.
“The minister’s decision to order a new trial is not a decision about the guilt or innocence of the applicant. It is a decision to return the matter to the courts, where the relevant legal issues may be determined according to the law,” a government news release said.
(John Woods / The Canadian Press files)
Another trial is extremely unlikely. Ottawa quashed the convictions of Brian Anderson and Allan Woodhouse for the same murder in June 2023. Manitoba Justice elected to register a formal acquittal and declare both men factually innocent the next month.
Ting Fong Chan, a 40-year-old father of two, was brutally beaten and stabbed while walking home from his job as a chef on July 17, 1973.
Anderson and Allan Woodhouse, then 18 and 17 respectively, were part of a group of four First Nations men city police charged with the killing. They were convicted by an all-white jury.
Anderson and Allan Woodhouse were sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 10 years. Both are members of Pinaymootang First Nation, formerly known as Fairford.
Innocence Canada, a non-profit organization that advocates for the wrongly convicted, argued systemic racism contributed to the decision to charge the men. They were convicted on the basis of signed confessions despite clear evidence that not all of the men spoke English and testimony police beat the suspects to get their signatures.
Allan Woodhouse served 23 years before he was granted full parole in 1990. Anderson served 10 years before being granted full parole in 1983. The two men have always maintained their innocence.
At the time of their acquittal, lawyers from Innocence Canada were unable to find Clarence Woodhouse. Having since located him, Innocence Canada applied to have the conviction overturned.
Clarence Woodhouse was released on parole in 1987 but was recently incarcerated on unrelated charges. He was released on bail in October after two other men were acquitted in the murder case.
Innocence Canada expects a hearing to be held later this year to formally acquit and declare Clarence Woodhouse innocent.
Russell Woodhouse, a fourth man convicted of the killing, died in 2011. Innocence Canada has asked Ottawa to posthumously quash his conviction so that he, too, can be declared innocent.
dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca
Dan Lett
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