In 1935, Daniel Perry Sampson faced the gallows in Halifax, marking the final execution in the city under the death penalty, amid claims of his innocence by his family. Now, after nine decades, a renewed effort is underway to officially absolve Sampson of the crime he was convicted for. Sampson, an African Nova Scotian veteran of the No. 2 Construction Battalion in World War I, allegedly confessed to the murder of two young white boys. However, discrepancies arise as lawyer David Steeves highlights that Sampson, who could sign his full name, inexplicably signed the confession with an X, typically used by illiterate individuals.
Steeves reveals that Sampson’s military discharge and marriage papers bear his complete signature, raising doubts about the authenticity of the confession. An expert in forensic document examination indicated that the same person who wrote the confession also penned the X mark. Steeves posits that it was not Sampson who authored the confession, suggesting a grave miscarriage of justice fueled by racial bias.
Lance Sampson, the great-great-grandson of Daniel Sampson, recently initiated a criminal conviction review process, coinciding with the 90th anniversary of Sampson’s death, seeking official exoneration. The case now awaits the scrutiny of the federal justice minister and the Criminal Conviction Review Group.
Acknowledging the role of racism in the historical handling of the case, Steeves emphasizes that the all-white jury that judged Sampson was a product of a systemic exclusion of African Nova Scotians. He points to over 15 new pieces of evidence highlighting serious flaws in the case against Sampson, including police perjury and unreliable witness testimonies.
Steeves challenges the narrative of the boys’ deaths, suggesting they might have tragically perished in a train accident while gathering berries near the tracks. The case underscores a glaring injustice perpetrated against Sampson, who potentially faced wrongful conviction in a racially charged environment.
Meanwhile, Lance Sampson, also known as Aquakultre in the music industry, expressed gratitude for the ongoing legal efforts to clear his ancestor’s name. The quest for justice in Sampson’s case sheds light on past injustices and systemic biases that marred the legal system almost a century ago.