Biography
John Graham is a member of the American Indian Movement and a Native American activist. Graham has spoken in multiple countries on Native rights to raise awareness of the impact of uranium mining in Canada on Indigenous Canadians.
On December 10th, 2010 a South Dakota jury found John Graham guilty of felony murder in the death of American Indian Movement (AIM) member Anna Mae Aquash. Aquash was murdered in the 1970s in an execution-style killing in South Dakota. There are still many unanswered questions related to Aquash's death. Candy Hamilton testified that Aquash told her that FBI Agent David Price had threatened that "he would see that she died" if she didn't cooperate with his investigation of the Pine Ridge shootings of two FBI agents, indicating that the state might have had a role in her murder. Meanwhile, Aquash's daughters Denise and Debbie believe that high-ranking AIM leaders ordered the death of their mother due to fears of her being an informant.
Graham has said that she was his friend and comrade and continues to maintain his innocence. The John Graham Defense Committee attests that Graham did not receive a fair trial by virtue of the fact that the jury was prevented from access to the background of the case, and from hearing any of Mr. Graham’s witnesses, such that his conviction was based solely on the uncorroborated testimony of co-conspirators and informants.
2010s audit verified October 12, 2026: The original 2004 BCCA 162 judgment establishes December 1, 2003 arrest and January 15, 2004 physical release subject to house arrest. The defense committee's contemporary custody video notice documents his return to custody June 26, 2007; its timeline identifies December 6 extradition as a later transfer. The unsupported continuous November 2003 admission and total were corrected. Initial detention is recorded separately; house arrest is not counted as imprisonment. No final prison release is inferred. Sources: source 1; source 2; source 3.
Calculation follow-up October 13, 2026: The earlier blanket clearing of the day total was too broad for this completed custody interval. Both recorded endpoints are source-verified full dates; the supported elapsed-day total is retained. This does not count bail, later supervision or unrelated custody. Sources already verified for the corrected dates: source; source; source. The separate June 26, 2007 return to custody remains ongoing; its exact-date duration may advance daily and is verified against the calculation rather than a frozen day count.
At the January 24, 2011 sentencing, Graham’s counsel asserted 220 additional days of actual Canadian custody, expressly excluding house arrest. The prosecutor opposed extradition credit. The judge distinguished time spent resisting extradition from detention after extradition was granted. This disputed sentencing-credit discussion does not establish an additional custody episode or a verified 220-day total.
