70 years after he was hanged for murder in Quebec, family hopes his name can finally be cleared

Jim Coffin's ma wouldn't bargain newspapers and kept the vigor presumption fixed connected the state euphony channel.

She would support her lad distant from the tiny black-and-white TV and sneak him retired of the location utilizing the backmost door.

For the archetypal 11 years of Jim's life, helium had nary thought reporters would basal connected his lawn, waiting to inquire questions astir his begetter who was found blameworthy of murder successful a high-profile lawsuit and subsequently executed successful 1956. 

He knew his begetter was dead, but was told helium had died successful a car accident. It was lone connected a travel backmost location to Gaspé, Que., erstwhile that mentation of events was shattered.

"Some of the kids were teasing maine astir my dada dying and hanging," said Jim, 77, who present lives successful Sechelt, B.C.

"I conscionable mislaid it… that's erstwhile my parent told maine what had truly happened. She said she couldn't support maine distant from it immoderate longer."

On Feb. 10, 1956, astatine the Bordeaux situation successful Montreal, Wilbert Coffin was hanged for the execution of 17-year-old Richard E. Lindsay.

Despite his conviction, helium went to his sedate swearing helium had thing to bash with the execution of the young American tourist.

The lawsuit captured the public's attraction overmuch similar a existent transgression mystery, spurring theories and inspiring the work of books, podcasts and movies — several suggesting a wrongful conviction.

Nearly 70 years later, the combat to wide Coffin's sanction continues arsenic a caller miscarriage of justness reappraisal committee gives his household hope.

Family had religion successful the system

Three years anterior to Coffin's execution, 3 Americans — a man, his lad and a person — went missing successful the woods portion retired connected a hunting travel successful Gaspé.

Their remains, ravaged by animals, wouldn't beryllium recovered for weeks.

Police turned to Coffin, who helped successful the hunt successful 1953. He became the past idiosyncratic known to spot the men live — and past the sole suspect

Coffin admitted to having met the men and helped them erstwhile their motortruck ran into mechanical problems earlier their disappearance. He besides admitted to being successful possession of immoderate items stolen from the victims.

A jack of each trades and a prospector who knew the Gaspé woods similar the backmost of his hand, Coffin became an "ideal suspect," says Kathryn Campbell, transgression defence lawyer and prof of criminology astatine the University of Ottawa.

She says erstwhile Quebec premier Maurice Duplessis apt felt the triple homicide would person a antagonistic effect connected tourism from American hunting associations.

"He needed to lick this homicide quickly," said Campbell. She doesn't correspond the family, but has researched the lawsuit and produced a podcast astir it.

"It conscionable seemed similar a foregone decision from the opening that helium was going to beryllium convicted and helium was going to beryllium hanged and it would beryllium a connection to the Americans."

She claims the authorities was pushing the constabulary for a solution and Coffin was an evident and "vulnerable" suspect.

The "hallmarks" of a miscarriage of justness were evident, she says — constabulary passageway vision, judicial misconduct and ineffective assistance of counsel.

"His household had religion successful the system," said Campbell. "They thought, 'well, helium didn't bash it, truthful he's not going to beryllium convicted, right?'"

The assemblage unanimously convicted him of the execution of the youngest victim, sentencing him to hang. Coffin was not held liable for the decease of the different 2 Americans.

The attempt to entreaty Coffin's condemnation was unsuccessful.

In 1963, Montreal writer and politician, Jacques Hébert, published a publication — J'accuse les assassins de Coffin — raising uncertainty connected Coffin's guilt and helping launch the instauration of a provincial committee to look into his conviction.

The contention was truthful large that successful 1964, the Brossard Commission convened to analyse the lawsuit and heard from hundreds of witnesses. It yet determined helium received a just trial.

In 2007, amid mounting unit from Coffin's household and supporters, the House of Commons unanimously adopted a question calling for a swift probe into the case. Nothing overmuch came from the mostly symbolic motion.

The national Justice Department did not reply CBC's questions regarding the result of the investigation. In an emailed statement, it said retired of respect for "individual privacy, we cannot supply immoderate accusation connected circumstantial transgression condemnation reviews."

Previously, the justness curate would determine if a lawsuit could beryllium retried oregon sent backmost to a Court of Appeal if they believed a miscarriage of justness apt occurred, says Campbell.

"That was authorities making decisions astir cases that had gone done government. So determination was a struggle of interest," she said. 

But a caller measure passed successful December 2024 looks to determination the reappraisal process for cases distant from the justness curate and springiness it to an autarkic committee dedicated exclusively to miscarriage of justness reviews.

Imposing a full-time main commissioner and 4 to 8 different full-time oregon part-time commissioners, the national authorities says Bill C-40 volition marque the process easier, faster and much just for the perchance wrongfully convicted.

In an email, the Justice Department confirmed it volition beryllium capable to look astatine posthumous cases like Coffin's, but it declined to remark connected erstwhile the committee volition beryllium established oregon however it mightiness choose cases.

'You ne'er truly get implicit it,' says 94-year-old sister

Marie Coffin-Stewart tries to retrieve her older member arsenic a benignant psyche and a bully navigator with a consciousness of humour. But the mode helium died changed his legacy.

"You ne'er truly get implicit it … this has been a horrendous nightmare each my life," said Coffin-Stewart, her dependable breaking.

Clasping her hands together, she said she ne'er "dreamt that it would extremity arsenic it did."

At 94 years old, Coffin-Stewart has ne'er fto up successful her condemnation that her member was not what the authorities painted him retired to be. She maintains helium was a "scapegoat" and hopes that now, aft each these years, Canadians volition commencement to recognize however this lawsuit was mishandled.

Coffin's lawyer did not telephone connected immoderate witnesses and did not person him testify.

Coffin-Stewart says her member was transferred to Quebec City jailhouse earlier his execution successful Montreal.

"To accidental it was a daze is putting it mildly. We couldn't judge it," said Coffin-Stewart.

The past clip she saw him was successful prison, done a expanse of glass.

"I couldn't hug him. I couldn't clasp him, interaction him," said Coffin-Stewart. "The adjacent clip I saw him, helium was successful the casket."

One of 11 siblings, each of whom person since passed away, she says the circumstances of her brother's decease haunt her.

"There's nary mode that helium could person killed those Americans and I deliberation it's astir clip that thing is done and that the nationalist should beryllium aware," said Coffin-Stewart.

WATCH | Marie Coffin-Stewart recalls visiting her member successful situation for the precise past time: 

Legal non-profit hopeful new commission volition help

The family's run to wide Coffin's sanction officially started erstwhile Innocence Canada connected with them astir 15 years ago.

A Canadian ineligible non-profit organization, Innocence Canada advocates for the wrongly convicted and has helped exonerate 30 guiltless radical since 1993.

Director James Lockyer hopes the enactment tin show that a miscarriage of justness whitethorn person occurred — and supply different reminder astir the dangers of the decease penalty, which was abolished successful Canada successful 1976.

"The upwind successful our sails for moving the lawsuit guardant arsenic champion we tin is the household members," said Lockyer. "It's conscionable a lawsuit of coming up against this locked doorway that we haven't been capable to get in."

That locked doorway refers to documents from the Brossard Commission. Although it generated materials antecedently unavailable and interviewed radical who did not attest astatine the trial, Lockyer says a batch of the enactment was placed nether a ban.

"Heaven knows wherefore this is. We're not talking astir authorities secrets here," said Lockyer.

"I've ne'er tally into a locked doorway similar this earlier and you person to accidental to yourself, 'why is it determination successful the archetypal place?'

"Makes maine highly suspicious."

Just recently, Lockyer says the enactment enlisted the assistance of a caller Quebec City lawyer to reappraisal French and English worldly which mightiness assistance its case.

Unable to get worldly Lockyer thinks would alteration them to situation Coffin's conviction, helium says the caller national committee — apt fixed subpoena and investigatory powers — volition beryllium capable to get access.

'I don't privation to dice the lad of a convicted murderer'

With uncertainty circling Coffin's conviction, respective theories person popped up over the years. 

A 1986 Radio-Canada study suggested respective radical whitethorn person seen a Jeep perchance carrying a abstracted radical of Americans. One antheral told Radio-Canada helium thought the licence sheet looked similar it was from Pennsylvania. The tribunal did not instrumentality this into consideration.

Another mentation suggests a Quebec man, Philippe Cabot, mightiness beryllium liable for the triple homicide. In 2006, years aft his death, his girl Micheline Cabot told Radio-Canada that her member admitted helium was witnesser to their begetter moving implicit 1 of the Americans with his car and shooting the 2 others with a firearm.

Micheline's brother, Jean-Gabriel, and her father, Phillippe Cabot, were some dead at the clip of this revelation, which is hearsay and not receivable successful court.

Jim Coffin says helium wants to spot his father's sanction cleared successful his lifetime. He says immoderate constabulary files astir the lawsuit person been sealed for 99 years. Quebec's Justice Ministry did not respond to CBC's petition for clarification regarding the duration oregon crushed down the restrictions. 

"I'm gonna unrecorded agelong capable to marque definite that they spot [the files] open," said Coffin. "If helium could locomotion up to those gallows, I tin enactment around.

"I don't privation to dice the lad of a convicted murderer."