Two NB Men Exonerated in ‘83 Murder; ‘Most Regrettable’ It Took 40 Years: Judge

Robert Mailman (L) and Walter Gillespie, speak to media shortly after their hearing at Saint John Law Courts in Saint John, N.B., on Jan. 4, 2024. The Canadian Press/Michael Hawkins

Two New Brunswick men whose 1984 murder convictions were recently overturned by the federal justice minister have been formally declared not guilty.

Tracey DeWare, chief justice of the Court of King’s Bench, said on Jan. 4 that Robert Mailman and Walter Gillespie are “innocent in the eyes of the law” of the Nov. 30, 1983 killing of George Gilman Leeman in Saint John, N.B.