Retrial of Clayton Allison begins Wednesday

PALMER, Alaska (KTUU) - Jury selection began Monday for the retrial of Wasilla resident Clayton Allison.

Allison was accused of murdering his infant daughter Jocelyn in 2008 and convicted in 2015 after prosecutors argued his daughter died of shaken baby syndrome.

Both Allison and his wife Christiane Joy, who goes by C.J., have maintained his innocence, arguing that their daughter fell down padded stairs and hit a chair.

In 2019, the Alaska Court of Appeals overturned Allison’s conviction after it found the court’s ruling to ban evidence of a genetic condition in error. Allison has been out of prison since, however, he is not yet considered a free man. When asked how she felt about the retrial, C.J. said it will be difficult to relive, but that she and her husband are thrilled it’s finally happening.

“If you see anything from the national innocence community, you’ll see a lot of people at this stage that are like, yeah — bring it on,” Allison’s wife stated. “I’m going to be free of this and I’m finally going to get justice for me and my family.”

C.J. Allison was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome type 3, a genetic condition that affects connective tissue, the year following her daughter’s death. The Allisons suspected that their daughter had the same condition — which they believe could explain how the child died from injuries typically less severe — but the judge forbade it from being submitted into evidence because Jocelyn was never officially diagnosed.

“When you’re the family involved, or you’re the defendant involved, you’re kind of the last man standing,” C.J. said. “We have gone through numerous judges, numerous prosecutors, numerous defense attorneys, numerous experts. We are the last people standing at this point — so, and we will continue to stand as long as we have to.”

Allison’s retrial is set to begin Wednesday and is expected to last at least four weeks.