In 1935, Daniel Perry Sampson faced the gallows in Halifax – marking the city’s final use of the death penalty – for a crime his relatives insist he did not commit. Nearly a century later, efforts are underway to clear Sampson’s name officially. Sampson, an African Nova Scotian and former member of the No. 2 Construction Battalion during World War I, was convicted based on a confession allegedly signed by him accepting responsibility for the deaths of two young white boys. However, discrepancies have emerged surrounding the signature on the confession. Attorney David Steeves points out that while the confession bore an X mark, indicative of illiteracy, Sampson had demonstrated the ability to sign his full name in official military and marriage documents. Steeves argues that the X signature appears suspicious.
The descendants of Daniel Sampson, including Lance Sampson, his great-great-grandson and known as Aquakultre in the music industry, have initiated steps for a criminal conviction review, coinciding with the 90th anniversary of Sampson’s execution. Lance Sampson expressed gratitude towards David Steeves, who has dedicated two decades to the case. Steeves highlighted the role of racism in the case’s historical handling, noting that Sampson’s trial by an all-white jury in Halifax reflected systemic biases of the time. He underscored that critical flaws in the case against Sampson have surfaced, including alleged perjury by officers, withheld documents, and unreliable Crown witnesses. Steeves even posits that the boys may have died in a train accident while berry-picking near the tracks, absolving Sampson of violent wrongdoing.
The renewed push for Sampson’s exoneration hinges on over 15 pieces of fresh evidence challenging the integrity of his conviction. The case is currently under review by the federal justice minister and the Criminal Conviction Review Group. Steeves emphasized the necessity of rectifying this “massive miscarriage of justice” that may have been influenced by racial prejudice and flawed legal proceedings of the past.
