Man Wrongly Convicted Of Killing 4-Year-Old Niece Paid $4.25 Million
Posted October 21, 2010 12:59 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A man wrongly convicted of his killing his four-year-old niece will receive financial compensation from the provincial government.
Ontario will pay $4.25 million to William Mullins-Johnson under the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Guidelines for Compensation of the Wrongfully Convicted.
Attorney General Chris Bentley made the announcement on Thursday.
“On behalf of the Government of Ontario, I offer my deepest and most sincere apologies to Mr. Mullins-Johnson and his family for the miscarriage of justice that occurred and the pain they had to endure,” he said.
“Mr. Mullins-Johnson has been working hard to rebuild his life and we wish him well as he continues that process,” Bentley added.
Mullins-Johnson was convicted in 1994 of raping and murdering the girl and spent 12 years in prison. Her death was later attributed to natural causes. His conviction was overturned on October 15, 2007 and he was acquitted.
Part of his initial sentence was based on the testimony of disgraced pathologist Dr. Charles Smith.
Mullins has launched a lawsuit against several doctors, including Smith.
Meanwhile, new trials have been ordered for two women convicted of killing their newborns babies based on Smith’s testimony.
