3rd Indigenous man released on bail in connection with 1973 murder

Open full screen

Clarence Woodhouse (center), who has been released on bail, stands outside the Winnipeg courthouse with his lawyers Jerome Kennedy (at left) and James Lockyer (right).

• Magalie Chinchilla Chaput (View profile)Magalie Chinchilla Chaput

A third Indigenous man sentenced to life in prison for murder in 1974, Clarence Woodhouse, was released on bail Monday following a decision by Manitoba Court of King's Bench. His release was ordered by Judge Joan McKelvey while his conviction is reviewed.

Clarence Woodhouse and three other Aboriginal men were sentenced to life in prison in 1974 for the murder of Ting Fong Chang. Two of the accused, Brian Anderson and Allan Woodhouse, were formally acquitted by Judge Glenn Joyal in July 2023.

Russell Woodhouse, the brother of Clarence Woodhouse and last defendant in the case, died in prison in 2011 before he had the chance to be acquitted.

On Monday, Judge Joan McKelvey granted Clarence Woodhouse bail, while a decision by the federal Minister of Justice on the review of his case is expected in a few months.

Mr. Woodhouse will have to live with her son in Winnipeg, attend all court dates and respect a weapons ban.

Crown prosecutor Michele Jules said she consented to the conditions of her release.

Defense attorneys Jerome Kennedy and James Lockyer insisted that Clarence Woodhouse be released immediately, but the prosecutor responded that he must first briefly return to Stony Mountain Penitentiary to have his case processed there. treated officially.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

This case is tinged with systemic racism which has harmed these men at all levels of the justice system.

A quote from Jerome Kennedy, attorney

According to a press release released Monday, Innocence Canada has requested a review of the conviction of Clarence Woodhouse and his brother Russell in September 2023 with the federal Minister of Justice, Arif Virani.

Mr. Woodhouse said he was assaulted by members of the Winnipeg police into signing a false confession, but the trial judge and jury did not believe him, writes Innocence Canada. /p>

The confessions were all false. They were all attacked by the Winnipeg police, who fabricated their statements and claimed that they presented confessions in English, while Salteaux has always been and remains their main language, for its part claimed. #x27;attorney James Lockyer, Monday.

A retrial for two Manitoba Aboriginal men sentenced to life in prison.BROADCAST HERE FIRST.6 to 9.

Retrial for two Manitoba Indigenous men sentenced to life in prison

SHOW HERE PREMIERE 6 to 9

Listen to the audio (Retrial for two Manitoba Indigenous men sentenced to life in prison. 12 minutes 24 seconds)

Brian's acquittals Anderson and Allan Woodhouse led Innocence Canada in challenging several convictions of Indigenous people in Manitoba.

On July 20, lawyers from the   organization have called for all murder conviction records from the past 50 years involving Indigenous people in the province to be reviewed.

With information from Raphaëlle Laverdière and Anne-Louise Michel

• Magalie Chinchilla Chaput (View profile)Magalie Chinchilla ChaputFollow