Photo: WBZ NewsRadio/ Carl Stevens
SALEM, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Four years ago, a class of North Andover middle school civics students learned about a 22-year-old woman named Elizabeth Johnson Jr. who more than 300 years ago was convicted of being a Salem witch.
While she was not executed, her sentence caused her incredible injustices that lasted beyond her lifetime by ruining the reputations of not just her but her extended and future family.
The tragedy of this story touched the students so deeply that they joined forces with their teacher Carrie Lapierre and State Senator Diana Dizoglio to set out on a legal odyssey to exonerate Johnson and clear her name once and for all.
This week, these same students were in Salem filming a documentary at the Peabody Essex Museum's 'Salem Witch Trials 1692 Exhibit' of what they accomplished.
"The story is about a middle school teacher from North Andover and her civics students who worked to exonerate the last of the convicted persons from the Salem witchcraft trials, Elizabeth Johnson Jr.," said Annika Hylmo, writer, director and producer of the film 'The Last Witch.'
She said this film is about how these students and their teacher embarked on the ultimate civics lesson.
WBZ NewsRadio's Carl Stevens (@CarlWBZ) reports:
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