Ottawa orders post-mortem appeal for Manitoba man in killing of restaurant worker

WINNIPEG — The federal government has ordered an appeal into the conviction of a First Nations man — 14 years after his death — in the killing of a restaurant worker in Winnipeg.

Federal Justice Minister Sean Fraser says a review of the conviction of Russell Woodhouse, who died in 2011, found reasonable grounds to conclude there was likely a miscarriage of justice in his case.

The government says it’s the first time a post-mortem conviction review has granted a remedy under the Criminal Code.

Woodhouse, who was from Pinaymootang First Nation in Manitoba’s Interlake region, was one of four First Nations men found guilty of fatally beating and stabbing Ting Fong Chan in 1973.

The others were exonerated after courts found they were wrongfully convicted and that the case involved systemic discrimination.

The convictions were based largely on statements to police that were fluent in English, including a signed confession by one of the men, despite some not being fluent in English, with Salteaux being their first language.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2025.