Episode 258: On the morning of February 20, 1989, stay-at-home mother of two Janice Faye Johnson was found unconscious, gravely injured and barely clinging to life at the foot of a flight of basement stairs in the Shelburne, Nova Scotia home she shared with her family, Clayton Norman Johnson and daughters Darla and Dawn. Even though she was still alive when she was found by a neighbour, who called for an ambulance immediately, Janice died in the hospital just after noon that day.

More than three years after her death, police arrested Janice’s husband, Clayton, a high school industrial arts teacher, and charged him with first-degree murder. Consistently maintaining his innocence throughout subsequent proceedings, on May 4, 1993, Clayton was found guilty of the first-degree murder of his wife. He was later sentenced to life in prison — his appeals, citing spurious forensic evidence, were rejected. He spent the next five years in prison.

Sources:

Clayton Johnson - Innocence Canada

Crown Halts Clayton Johnson Murder Prosecution - Government of Nova Scotia, Canada

Clayton Johnson Settlement - Government of Nova Scotia, Canada

Clayton Johnson: Innocent man convicted by so-called experts

Clayton Johnson walks as Crown balks at new trial | CBC News

Shelburne man, wrongly convicted of wife’s murder, dies | CBC News

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

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

Clayton Johnson - Wrongful Conviction - Pyzer Criminal Lawyers

Clayton Johnson: obituary and death notice on InMemoriam

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

Wrongly convicted man cleared in wife’s death - The Globe and Mail

Accident or Murder? | Forensic Files Wiki | Fandom

“Forensic Files” Accident or Murder? (TV Episode 1999) - Reference View - IMDb

Obituary | Clayton Norman Johnson of Barrington, Nova Scotia | H.M. Huskilson’s Funeral Home

Scribd | Justice Miscarried: Inside Wrongful Convictions in Canada 

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