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

Later that day, Nadia turned color, and Zavion rushed her to the hospital. Despite the doctors’ 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 made contact with the Northern California Innocence Project (NCIP). With help from the law firm Keker, Van Nest & Peters, NCIP investigated his case. A fresh review of the evidence, informed by new scientific data, cast doubt on the court’s previous conclusions. 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 to reverse the conviction.

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

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Written by:

Laurence Colletti