Wilbert Coffin

Wilbert Coffin
Wilbert Coffin
Born	23 October 1915; Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, Canada
Died	10 February 1956 (aged 40); Bordeaux Prison, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Cause of death	Execution by hanging
Criminal status	Executed
Conviction(s)	Murder
Criminal penalty	Death sentence

Wilbert Coffin (October 23, 1915 – February 10, 1956)[1] was a Canadian prospector who was convicted of murder and executed in Canada. Montreal journalist, editor, author and politician Jacques Hebert raised doubt as to Coffin's guilt in J'accuse les assassins de Coffin, published in 1963. The book led to a royal commission which upheld the conviction. See more at Coffin Affair.

On 15 July 1953, the remains of Eugene Lindsey were found in the Gaspé region of Quebec a month after his disappearance. The body had been torn apart by bears. On 23 July 1953, the bodies of Lindsey's 17-year-old son Richard and 20-year-old Frederick Claar were also found, 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) away. The three men had last been seen going into the woods to hunt. Lindsey had graduated from high school in Pennsylvania the day before the trip. Coffin was accused of ambushing the three men and stealing more than 600 dollars. Coffin denied committing the murders, but was found to have some belongings of the deceased that he came into possession of when he found the abandoned vehicle that belonged to them in the area that they went missing. Wilber Coffin along with others in the area were known to salvage abandoned property found in the local area and shoreline to make a meager income.

Coffin went through seven reprieves after his conviction where he was denied clemency by the Quebec Court of Appeals, the Canadian Supreme Court and the Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent's cabinet. Finally, on 10 February 1956, Coffin mounted the gallows. He was refused his final wish of marrying Marion Petrie, his partner and mother of his 8-year-old son James.

Posthumous

Mohawk Indian Frederick Gilbert Thompson confessed to the crime in 1958, fingering his friend Johnny Green as the killer of Richard. He later recanted his confession and Canadian authorities dismissed his story as not credible.[2]

Coffin was portrayed by August Schellenberg in the 1980 film The Coffin Affair.

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gollark: Or solid iodine.

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gollark: Wood is such an evil material.

References

"Wilbert Clarence "Bill" Coffin (1915-1956) - Find..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2020-06-23.
1958 :[Final Edition 57]. (1999, December 27). Kingston Whig-Standard, p. 61. Retrieved February 15, 2008 from Canadian Newsstand Core database. (Document ID: 294746281)

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[1] "Wilbert Clarence "Bill" Coffin (1915-1956) - Find..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2020-06-23.

[2] 1958 :[Final Edition 57]. (1999, December 27). Kingston Whig-Standard, p. 61. Retrieved February 15, 2008 from Canadian Newsstand Core database. (Document ID: 294746281)