Thomas Sophonow Trial

On December 23, 1981, Thomas Sophonow, a Canadian man, was wrongfully accused of murder. 16 year old Barbara Stoppel was ruthlessly killed at the washroom of her workplace. Unfortunately, eyewitnesses mistakenly chose Mr. Sophonow as being the murderer. Eye witnesses stated that a man, whose appearance was very similar to that of Thomas Sophonow, locked the door and made his way to the back of the shop where he was presumed to have strangled Barbara Stoppel to death. Furthermore, while Thomas Sophonow was in custody, he showed an undercover officer a door locking technique. Although the undercover officer was looking for a confession, he decided to use Mr. Sophonow’s knowledge and demonstration of the locking technique as further evidence that would pin him to the case, as it was noted that the door was locked from the inside when Barbara Stoppel’s life came to an untimely end. Lastly, police found the twine that had fibres of Barbara Stoppel’s sweater and was thought to have been the murder weapon. This physical evidence could have come from one of two places; Power twines company or the

Sophonow already served his sentence in jail before the truth surfaced. However, thanks to the endeavours of AIDWYC, Thomas Sophonow was given 2.3 million dollars as a repayment for the injustice and traumatic experiences he underwent through this investigation. Furthermore, he was given an apology from the General Attorney of Manitoba. Regrettably, such an experience could never be forgotten. It extensively and permanently damaged Mr. Sophonow. Mr. Sophonow now suffers from many psychology issues and was diagnosed with a post-traumatic stress disorder. Furthermore, such a scarring event also ruined his reputation. He continued to receive harsh treatment throughout his everyday travels. Although Thomas Sophonow was no longer convicted of the murder of Barbara Stoppel, his unacceptable experiences and brutal treatment will never truly be brought to