What begins as a school project becomes an emotional journey into historic wounds.
THE LAST WITCH is a documentary following efforts to exonerate Elizabeth Johnson Jr., the last person convicted of witchcraft during the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. As a schoolteacher, her students, and a state senator work to clear Elizabeth’s name, what begins as a unique school project quickly becomes an emotional journey into historical wounds left unattended—and the contemporary implications of those wounds.
THE LAST WITCH shows how a schoolteacher, her students, and their allies not only set Elizabeth’s wrongful conviction right, but that by making amends with the past, they provide all of us with inspiration to create a better future. THE LAST WITCH spotlights the impact one person can have to change history, and draws attention to our own individual responsibility to follow her example and reduce bullying and ostracization everywhere.
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Who was...
THE • LAST
WITCH?
The last person tried for the crime of witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials was Elizabeth Johnson, Jr., a 22-year-old woman who was deemed “simplish,” accused, arrested, bullied and convicted. While she was not executed, her sentence as a “detestable witch” continued to subject her to ongoing injustices after the Trials and remained beyond her lifetime until present day.
August 10, 1692 : Arrested for Witchcraft
January 11, 1693 : Sentenced to Hang
July 28, 2022: Exonerated of the Crime,
330 years later
THE PLAYERS
Key characters in our story
CARRIE LAPIERRE
8th Grade School Teacher
Carrie’s passion for history and justice inspired 250 of her students to take on Elizabeth Johnson Jr’s case as the last person in Massachusetts to be exonerated of the conviction of witchcraft
DIANA DIZOGLIO
Massachusetts State Senator
As the daughter of a single mother who
had her at 17, Diana has always had to
fight for the things that have mattered to
her, including the injustice done to
Elizabeth Johnson Jr.
THE 8th GRADE CLASS
North Andover Middle School
Around 120 students, aged 13-14 years,
are challenged to read primary sources
and send letters and postcards to the
legislature to clear the name of a woman
who lived many years before them during
events that will shape their lives today.
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Director’s Statement
As a former university teacher, I relate to how Carrie LaPierre, a middle school teacher, uses Elizabeth Johnson Jr’s story to teaches her students that by taking action to clear Elizabeth of her conviction, we can all make a difference.
330 years after the Salem Witch Trials, Carrie LaPierre, her 8th grade students and the last convicted witch, will teach all of us much needed lessons about humanity, community, and spirituality. ese lessons will take us beyond the Salem Witch Trials to contemporary “witch hunts” as THE LAST WITCH will embark on a social impact campaign against bullying in schools and social media that all of us can relate to. I look forward to it.
Annika Hylmö, Ph.D.
Photo Credit: Ashly Covington
THE ACTIVISTS
People making waves today
Efforts to clear Elizabeth’s name are having an impact. Some of the excerpts to be included in the documentary:
MASSACHUSETTS SENATE
Senator DiZoglio’s speech about exonerating Elizabeth Johnson Jr and why it’s important today. She mentions The Last Witch documentary.
KELLY CLARKSON SEGMENT
International Girls Day celebration of two of the students and the teacher who exonerated The Last Witch, October 11, 2022.