I was in complete shock, she told ABC News. The window is how it is believed that the killer escaped. Garrett was found unconscious in his home and died that night due to injuries inflicted by a yet unknown perpetrator. Again, I saw an abrasion, but it ankle didnt look swollen to me. Jones held Cyrus' hand and comforted her as she was interviewed by the police. About his hitch in the U.S. Army. When 12-year-old Garrett Phillips was murdered in 2011, suspicion turned to soccer coach Oral "Nick" Hillary. Garbus says her team did analysis on that tape beyond what the police had done but no new developments came out of it. Whatever you might say about the film and how it portrays the justice system and Nick Hillary, my hope is that it also reflects the pain of the loss of this family and the gaping hole it left in their lives, Garbus says. The university soccer coach had previously dated the victims mother, Tandy Cyrus, but was reported to have split with the grieving mum as he didnt get on with her children. Pictured is the 100 Market St. apartment building in Potsdam, New York. According to the documentary, that once police focused in on Hillary an Army veteran and respected soccer coach at nearby Clarkson University other investigative avenues were not explored. North Country Public Radio has learned that a local source reached out to state troopers last fall with a possible tip. According to Grantland, Officer Mark Wentworth investigated the apartment at 100 Market Street. That's a remarkable jump from the window.". I mean this is something that like is stated in the documentary, he explained: For 20 years I spent building my entire legacy up until that point and within 20 minutes they destroyed., Hillary added: Up to a point now Im trying to clear the rubble in the process of hoping to rebuild.. Tandy Cyrus, Garretts mom, was at her other sons basketball practice. Following this, Hillary was then indicted for murder in the second degree, spending 70 days in prison before he was released on bail. "The district attorneys office, the police, and the sheriffs department refuse to get to the bottom of things and basically have swept this investigation under the rug.". However, if youre innocent, why would it matter? with hopes to shed more light on the devastating case. Garbus shares that she was in contact with Tandy while in production on the project, and she expressed the possibility of sitting down for an interview once the trial was over. By the time Liz Garbus 's two-part documentary " Who Killed Garrett Phillips ?" debuts on HBO, there could be a new public lead in the case of the murdered titular 12-year-old. HBO. On Tuesday, the eve of the verdict, Interim Potsdam Police Chief Mark Murray took ABC News' Elizabeth Vargas through the crime scene: a 3-bedroom apartment where Garrett lived and where he was found on the floor that fateful October day. "Oral Hillary will face that for the rest of his life unless the true perpetrator is found and held accountable," Bastuk said. We reached out to Murray this winter ask how hes handling the investigation, but he declined to comment. Just like his father, spitting image of my brother, a heck of a little athlete. The police soon zeroed in on Nick Hillary, the ex-boyfriend of Tandy. The HBO documentary is likely the best place to get an update on Jones. When the former live-in boyfriend of the mother, a black Jamaican-born soccer coach, became an almost immediate suspect in the murder, a cry went out from his camp that he was being railroaded. Photo: Lauren Rosenthal. Photo: David Sommerstein, D.A. They immediately called an ambulance. The apartment that Jones helped Cyrus find was the same spot where Phillips was found gravely hurt. The judge dismissed most of the claims, but some are still ongoing. aired on HBO on Jul. They couldnt break down the door, so they got the manager to unlock the door, which was locked from the inside. The boy in the security video was 12-year-old Garrett Phillips. She added Nick warned her, "If I didn't get Garrett under control or get him on a more strict schedule, then when he got older I wasn't gonna be able to control him. https://www.nny360.com/news/new-leads-surface-in-phillips-murder/article_129462bd-bed2-53ab-b550-39d06dfacc74.html. A new foreign DNA company called Starmix said that Nicks DNA matched the crime scene, however, during the investigation, the police said the DNA mixture was too small. At 4:40pm, Shanna-Kay took a shower. For years, no one was named in Phillips' death. Director of the documentary Liz Garbus, added: And what you dont know if you havent seen the documentary yet is Nick was an all American soccer champion and a graduate from Saint Lawrence University and became a coach at Clarkson, coaching a great soccer team and a military veteran. But in a county thats population is more than 90% white, the killing of a child -- a crime that screamed out for justice -- became an investigation that boiled with questions of racial fairness. Yet somehow, within hours, police. Just to say, I tried. He argued that Garrett was the victim of overzealous prosecutors and poor defense attorneys. On October 26, two days after the murder, Nick was brought into the station. But at the same time, so many armchair sleuths, so many Reddit boards, so much discussion only increased the chances of it being solved.. Hillary was confused, especially because Jones was not in his deputy uniform and he wasn't sure if Jones was there in an official capacity or not. Fourteen at the time of the murder, she was one of his two alibi witnesses. The only real signs of struggle was his sweatshirt laying in the hallway and his physical body.". Who Killed Garrett Phillips? Nick said he was at the high school to watch a soccer game, went home and talked with his daughter, and then went to his assistant coachs house. Garretts family, especially his mom and uncle, Brian Phillips, believe Nick 100% killed Garrett. "When someone is wrongfully convicted or wrongfully prosecuted, the true perpetrator remains on the streets to commit another crime," Bastuk said, referring to the Phillips case, which remains unsolved. But he said Hillarys situation fits in with nationwide protests over racism in policing a Black man associated with a crime even after a not guilty verdict. You would send a wave of evidence, you know, expecting a probative piece of DNA, or fingerprint or a hair or fiber then just not getting that. No one else has ever been named a suspect. But then when we looked at it closer. Why would I even want to hurt a child, after having worked with kids for over two decades? Director Liz Garbus is pictured in an undated photo. Hillary still swears by his innocence, while the cops and prosecutor reiterate that Hillary was the only person who could have done this and had opportunity in their minds.. ", Shortly after he took office in 2018, the new St. Lawrence County D.A., Gary Pasqua, told NCPR he wanted to conduct his own review. All of other window screens in the home were intact, Murray said. (Hillary has denied visiting the apartment without Cyrus' permission. With the case still very much open and unsolved, justice for Phillips has not been achieved. There was another former flame of his mother Tandy Cyrus a local sheriffs deputy against whom she had previously filed a complaint saying he made her fear for the safety of myself and my sons.. And while the killer of the 12-year-old boy could still be on the loose, Oral Nick Hillary paid the price at the time of the murder, as he was initially named as a key suspect. Being a father and having known this young man I would hope the objective is to pursue the killer and do the right thing by Garrett Phillips.". By the time Liz Garbuss two-part documentary Who Killed Garrett Phillips? debuts on HBO, there could be a new public lead in the case of the murdered titular 12-year-old. Sky Crime launched the documentary Who Killed Garrett Phillips? Cyrus did not want to participate. Tandy said she broke up with Nick because Garrett didnt like him. In their ruling, a state disciplinary panel wrote that Rain's handling of the Garrett Phillips case was one of several ethical issues that contributedto her punishment. He also said he'd talked with police and met with Garrett Phillips mother but he didn't want to discuss his findings. I think of Michelle McNamara: Did that book [Ill Be Gone in the Dark] solve that case? He loved his ripstick," Phillips said. MORE : Robbie Williams takes terrifying Halloween decorations to the next level with a giant witch statue, MORE : Rose McGowan pays homage to Mia Farrow on Halloween in Rosemarys Baby costume, Putin formally suspends last nuclear arms treaty left with the US, Today presenter forced to leave mid-show and rush home after falling ill, Boy, 15, shot dead by his older brother, Scott Mills misses romantic weekend after getting locked in electric car for five hours, How a group of LGBTQ+ MPs helped fight Hitler years before Britain did, Robbie Williams takes terrifying Halloween decorations to the next level with a giant witch statue, Rose McGowan pays homage to Mia Farrow on Halloween in Rosemarys Baby costume, Do not sell or share my personal information. There was a blue car that the police zeroed in on. Photo: David Sommerstein, Oral "Nick" Hillary was found not guilty on Wednesday in the 2011 murder of twelve-year-old Garrett Phillips. Police soon said it was a homicide. -- It was Oct. 24, 2011, when 12-year-old Garrett Phillips was found strangled to death inside his home in Potsdam, New York, a small town near the Canadian border. When it comes to investigating new tips, Trainum said, it matters whos in charge. Filling the benches behind, were foursquare supporters of Hillary across the aisle from Tandy's extended family. Its season 6 episode 2 titled Home Alone.. However, at 6:24pm, Nicks daughter texted her dad asking what was for dinner, despite having told the police Nick was home with her at the time of the murder and they had talked about dinner. The person who brutally murdered Garrett Phillips is still allowed to walk free. When Hillary was acquitted this week, the judge said that his case was mostly circumstantial and didnt prove he was guilty without a doubt. They said that he had a limp in his right leg, however, the video is grainy and I didnt see any limp. Dismiss. Mar 8, 2019. The duo were joined by lawyer Mani Tafari, who also shared his view on the case. Phillips was convinced police had the right suspect, but he felt it was time to move on and it became clear that law enforcement wanted to move on, too. Phillips also knows that the former DA, Mary Rain, had her law license suspended last summer. It's going on four years since . But where was the evidence to put before a jury? After it ended in an acquittal, Phillips said he had to draw back. Garrett had been strangled and suffocated. He is also a Jamaican immigrant, who was living in a community that was 94 % white a fact crucial to understanding how the justice system failed Garrett, Brooklyn-based director Liz Garbus told the Daily News. Since moving to New York, I've associated Kips Bay with decent curry and a cheap pint. Tandy's 12-year-old, Garrett, bristled at his mom's new boyfriend, said Tandy. For more information, please see our He was interviewed in the episode, but he mainly talked shit about Nick. He entered the parking lot of the high school, heading towards his house. The prosecution, he ruled, had not made its circumstantial case "beyond a reasonable doubt." But he backed off after the main suspect was acquitted. Rain credited the "Justice for Garrett" movement Brian Phillips, Garrett's uncle, sold and distributed thousands of posters bearing the slogan and raised $40,000 for a reward fund . In 2011, 12-year-old Garrett Phillips was killed in his upstate New York home. Weve been covering the case for over a year. How are police handling new leads in the Garrett Phillips case? They also heard someone saying no and crying out for help. with hopes to shed more light on the devastating case. The police also made Nick strip down in the nude, so they could take photographs. "In my mind, that investigation is still out there.". Murray and another officer, Gary Snell (who Garbus notes declined to be interviewed for the doc), interrogated Hillary after conducting a joint interview with Phillips mother Tandy and John Jones, who was not only her ex-boyfriend but also a sheriffs deputy at the time of the crime, and later briefly brought under suspicion because he was seen on tape by Phillips just before the murder. A St. Lawrence County prosecutor says there's a new tip in the Garrett Phillips murder case. He was asked many questions about where he was the day of the murder. And Nick doesnt have any of that right now. The group wrote a letter to DA Pasqua seeking an independent prosecutor two weeks ago. POTSDAM Nearly nine years after Garrett J. Phillips was strangled to death in his Potsdam home, the case remains open and no one has been convicted in connection to the 12-year-old's murder. But Hillary and a vocal group of supporters say that he has been wrongfully accused. On October 24, 2011, the neighbors of Garretts heard noises coming from next door. Photo: Lauren Rosenthal, Over 50 people gathered to release balloons in memory of Garrett Phillips in 2016. Tafari, a lawyer who provided legal support to his former Tilden High School friend, doesnt believe this film can change a corrupt system. The latest events in the case come as Oral "Nick" Hillary, who was found not guilty of the murder, is suing Potsdam and St. Lawrence County police, claiming he was unfairly accused because he is Black. Movie Info. I did everything I could. In 2006, Hillary was acquitted of murder after a trial before a judge without a jury, The jury pool came from the same individuals who had elected the district attorney, Hillary, 45, told The News. Oral "Nick" Hillary and Tandy Cyrus are pictured in an undated photo. But the verdict came down as not guilty, and Tandy never ended up going on the record with Garbus. And they havent been in touch with Garrett Phillips family. In Shanna-Kays cross-examination, the prosecution brought her attention to surveillance footage that showed her walking home at 4:02pm, which would have gotten her home at 4:12pm, and therefore into the shower at 4:22 pm. By then, the D.A. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Garrett Phillips was strangled in his family's second-floor apartment in upstate Potsdam in October 2011. The DNA was ruled immiscible, and the case was based on circumstantial evidence. But I hope Im wrong about that, Garbus tells Variety. Photo: Brit Hanson, Groups call for independent probe of Garret Phillips murder, Groups call for independent probe of Garrett Phillips murder, David Sommerstein (News Director), cleared in Garrett Phillips death almost four years ago, local police and prosecutors declared the case closed, Nick Hillary's civil rights case, and how it links to a broader moment of reckoning, A phone call from inside the investigation, Gumball machine serves up free poetry in the Adirondacks, Not in Old Forge's backyard? After the trial ended in 2016, Murray told NCPR, were confident we prosecuted the right person.. (Courtesy of HBO ), There was systemic racism and police tunnel vision but when both are linked it becomes really problematic, Garbus explained. And the focus right now is to start puttin this in the rearview mirror.. The lawsuit alleged that Hillary's civil rights had been violated during his trial. His close friend Mani Tafari is less optimistic. Nick was deposed for the suit. "Ideally, it should be used as a learning experience, where all the parties go back and theyre open with each other and honest with each other," Trainum said. It just blows my mind.. On September 21, Hillarys daughter, Shanna-Kay, took the stand to defend her father. Nick is targeted. The original DA did not feel that she could mount a case, and Mary Rain mounting the case put them through an enormous amount of hope, and then disappointment.. Here was the thing about the investigation though: crime scene techs could come up with no forensic clues -- no fingerprints, no DNA, no tissue and no hair linking Nick to what was theorized to be a violent hands-on struggle in a small space. After Garrett is seen turning towards his house, the car is seen following him. She ignored Hillary's phone calls. I personally dont think Nick killed Garrett, but theres just no proof of him doing it. In one room, a screen in a window seemed warped, Murray said. Sky Crime launched the documentary Who Killed Garrett Phillips? "Thats not gonna change.". They realized that the killer could have had an injury since the jump was pretty far. Garrett was described as always being a happy kid, who always had a smile on his face. [2] Still, hed urge every black person in America to see the movie., We can change how black people deal with the system, Tafari says, so they understand that when it comes to law enforcement, you are going to be the subject of their suspicion and you should learn that cooperation could dig your own grave.. Jones essentially told the players . Though the crime happened almost five years ago, the whodunit of it all has consumed this quiet area. M3GAN Is Finally Available To Stream After The Kids Go To Bed, 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio' Puts A Dark Twist On The Classic Disney Tale, 'Puss In Boots: The Last Wish' Is So Fun, But Gets Way Darker Than You Expect, Everything You Need To Know To Watch 'Puss In Boots: The Last Wish', What Parents Are Talking About Delivered Straight To Your Inbox, By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. One DA declined to pursue an indictment and was eventually voted out of office. On the same courthouse steps in Canton where Hillary walked away a free man after being cleared in Garrett Phillips death almost four years ago, a couple dozen people held a press conference Friday afternoon. Defend her father doubt. voted out of it ended in an undated photo investigated the apartment at 100 St.. I personally dont think Nick killed Garrett think of Michelle McNamara: that! Tip in the Garrett Phillips murder case is pictured in an undated photo she told ABC News his father spitting. 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