Sen. Diana DiZoglio has succeeded in her quest to clear the name of a North Andover woman convicted of witchcraft in 1693. The Massachusetts Senate passed legislation clearing the name of Elizabeth Johnson Jr., the last person convicted of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials who had yet to be exonerated. As WHAV reported first last July that DiZoglio filed the bill on behalf of North Andover Middle School civics students who researched Johnson’s life and the steps that would need to be taken to clear her name. “My students have worked extremely hard over the past two years to draw attention to the long-overlooked issue of justice for this wrongly convicted woman,” said North Andover Middle School teacher Carrie LaPierre. “Passing this legislation will be incredibly impactful on their understanding of how important it is to stand up for people who cannot advocate for themselves and how strong of a voice they actually have.”
Starting in 1702, those who had been convicted, but not executed, started petitioning to have their convictions overturned.