AIDWYC Exonerations: Individual Cases

Romeo Phillion

Romeo Phillion was convicted in 1972 in connection with the murder of Leopold Roy in Ottawa. At the time of his conviction, police were in possession of evidence that established that Mr. Phillion was 200 kilometres from Ottawa at the time the crime was committed.

This alibi evidence was never presented to the defence, and had its first airing in the justice system following its presentation to the Minister of Justice in 2003 as part of a s. 696.1 application prepared by AIDWYC and the Osgoode Hall Innocence Project. In July, 2003, Mr. Phillion became the first person granted bail pending the ministerial review of his conviction, and his case was ultimately referred to the Ontario Court of Appeal for the hearing of fresh evidence. On March 5 2009, a three-judge panel of the Ontario Court of Appeal awarded Mr. Phillion a new trial.

On April 29, 2010, Mr. Phillion's 71st birthday, the Crown formally withdrew the charges against him at the Superior Court of Justice in Ottawa.