On November 24, 2001, Zavion Johnson was bathing his 4 month old daughter (Nadia) when she slipped from his grasp, hitting her head on the tub. He immediately checked her for injuries but did not see any. Unknown to him, she had sustained deadly internal injuries from the short fall.

Later that day, Nadia turned color and Zavion rushed her to the hospital. Despite best efforts, she passed away two days later. While leaving Nadia’s funeral, Zavion was arrested for murder. He was convicted in 2002 based on a theory of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) when the court determined Nadia’s death was caused by abusive shaking rather than a tragic accident. Zavion was sentenced to life in prison.

After spending more than 10 years behind bars, Zavion was able to make contact with the Northern California Innocence Project (NCIP). With help from the law firm of Keker, Van Nest & Peters, NCIP investigated his case. Through the lens of new scientific data, a fresh look at the evidence casted doubt on previous conclusions made by the court. Medical experts now believed Nadia’s injuries were more consistent with a short fall rather than abuse. Armed with this evidence, NCIP and their legal team sought reversal of the conviction.

On December 8, 2017, Zavion’s conviction was reversed and he was released after 17 years of incarceration. A month later on January 19, the District Attorney dropped all charges. Eventually, Zavion would be awarded compensation from the California Victim’s Compensation Board in May of 2022. Tune in to hear a first hand account of this story told by Zavion Johnson himself. {podcast player above}

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Written by:

Laurence Colletti