The Making of The Coffin Affair involves a discussion between Kathryn Campbell (host, writer and director) and Hanna Irwin (historian, producer and research assistant) about the case and podcast.

For more information on the Coffin case and the sources used for this podcast, please go to www.wilbertcoffinaffair.com

Coffin’s statement from Bordeaux Jail, Montreal, on October 9th, 1955.  This episode involves the reading, by Barry Marion, Gaspesian, of chapter 8 of “I Accuse the Assassins of Coffin”, by Jacques Hebert.  This is the full text of Coffin’s statement made while in jail on October 9th, 1955, which addresses each of the theories advanced by the Crown at trial, interspersed with commentary from Kathryn Campbell.  

For more information on the Coffin case and the sources used for this podcast, please go to www.wilbertcoffinaffair.com

This final episode covers what happened following Coffin’s execution in 1956. Media attention sparked interest in re-opening his case and the Quebec government held a Commission of Inquiry in 1964 to investigate the actions of police and others involved in the procedures that led to Coffin’s hanging. Despite weeks of hearing evidence from numerous individuals, Judge Brossard failed to find that any misconduct had occurred during the investigation. In this episode, other possible suspects in the murder are outlined, including Gabriel Thompson, Jean-Phillippe Cabot, and the two unidentified Americans in the jeep. Extra-judicial efforts to establish Coffin’s innocence are also explored in this episode, as well as an examination of later political involvement in Coffin’s case. Moreover, the role of Coffin’s case in the abolition of the death penalty is explored, as well as current efforts by Innocence Canada (formerly AIDWYC) and the Criminal Conviction Review Group of the Department of Justice to overturn his conviction.  

For more information on the Coffin case and the sources used for this podcast, please go to www.wilbertcoffinaffair.com