Garrett Phillips was a 12 year old boy who lived with his mom, Tandy and brother, Aaron, in Potsdam, New York. He thought Nick [Hillary] was the guy, so I think the likelihood of this being pursued by the police and the DA needs the police to do the pursuing is pretty low. Theyre Aug 17, 2020 Advocates for the wrongfully accused are trying to draw new attention to the murder of Garrett Phillips in Potsdam nine years ago. 2. Sky Crime launched the documentary Who Killed Garrett Phillips? Despite the fact that the circumstantial evidence against him and Hillary was so similar, he didn't suffer nearly so many consequences as Hillary did. It concerns a group of people who were living in the North Country around the time of the murder. His mother's ex-boyfriend, Nick Hillary, was found not guilty of the murder just over two years ago in a. Nick did drive a blue car, however the footage is so blurry that you cant tell who is driving or see the license plate. Nick said he was shocked and surprised to hear the allegations of bad blood between him and the young boy. It was almost Halloween, a rainy late Monday afternoon in Potsdam, NY, when a security camera high atop a high school recorded a video that still makes the hair on your neck stand-up. The lawsuit alleged that Hillary's civil rights had been violated during his trial. Today, Garrett's mother's ex-boyfriend, Nick Hillary, was found not guilty in the boy's murder. Garretts mother, Tandy Cyrus, has said that her son was a gregarious boy who had absolutely no fear. Potsdam, NY, interim police chief takes ABC News through the crime scene. and our A state investigator whos close with the murdered boys family. Part 1 of Who Killed Garrett Phillips? "There is obviously no resolution to Garrett Phillips murder," Pasqua said at the time. But going forward, it looks like industry-shifting life sciences 1. Cyrus says that when she showed up at the hospital, her son had bruises all over his face, and Marks on his neck. Garrett Phillips was a 12 year old boy who lived with his mom, Tandy and brother, Aaron, in Potsdam, New York. (Also pictured: Potsdam Village attorney Thomas Mortati.) IE 11 is not supported. 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? Nick was deposed for the suit. "The Garrett Phillips case is just full of the appearance of impropriety.". He was 12. 23, with Part 2 following the next night on Jul. He was the last person seen with him and he was know to be violent and committed a confirmed violent act. And while the killer of the 12-year-old boy could still be on the loose,. Director Jesse Quackenbush, a man from Albany, New York who graduated from the University of Houston Law School in 1987 and, that year, moved to Amarillo, made the documentary The Last Word which argues that Garrett was in fact innocent of the crime. The person who brutally murdered Garrett Phillips is still allowed to walk free. Director Liz Garbus Writer Karen Sim Stars Oral Hillary Brian Phillips Tyler Rodrigues See production, box office & company info Watch on Prime Video He was 19 at the time of the 2013 arrest, which makes him the same age as the Brandon D. Murphy in question for Garrett's murder. Dec 18, 2020. There was a blue car that the police zeroed in on. His killer is still out there. Privacy Policy. It would take 18 more months for any more information about what happened to Garrett would come to light. 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. According to North Country Now, that includes civil actions filed against DA Rain and Jones. Bastuk said local law enforcement is too compromised and an independent prosecutor needs to take over. Prosecutors also referenced two interviews Shanna-Kay gave in 2014 and 2015 in both interviews, she said she ate dinner at 6pm. Ms. Because we werent gonna get justice for him.". 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. Back in the hospital, Garrett Phillips was pronounced dead at 7:18pm. The police went to Nicks soccer game the day after the murder, and recorded him on the sideline. In 2011, Garrett Phillips, who was just 12-years-old, was killed in his upstate New York home. Again, I saw an abrasion, but it ankle didnt look swollen to me. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Nick did say he was at the high school that day, watching a soccer game. All of other window screens in the home were intact, Murray said. Nick was finally released, but they kept his clothes and took the cigarette butts from his pocket and drain. And that was the tunnel vision., And that was on what Garbus wanted to shine a larger light with this project. At 4:40pm, Shanna-Kay took a shower. For years, one of the loudest voices demanding justice for Garrett Phillips belonged to his uncle. Related: Nick Hillary Found Not Guilty in Murder of 12-Year-Old Garrett Phillips. While there would be the occasional inconsistency in a detail someones story, be it Hillarys or Murrays or Joness which she didnt shy away from including in the final cut everyone was adamant about their beliefs. She ignored Hillary's phone calls. If there's been an acquittal, Trainum said, thats all the more reason for investigators to take a step back and consider how the case unfolded. And Nick doesnt have any of that right now. -- 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. A Brandon D. Murphy from nearby Norfolk was arrested in 2013 for sexual contact with a minor under 14. She had also been in a relationship with a police officer named John Jones at the time. Original Language: English. Jones essentially told the players . For more information, please see our "It's very frustrating," he told "20/20." civil actions filed against DA Rain and Jones, circumstantial evidence against him and Hillary. On Oct. 24, 2011, a dispatcher in Potsdam, N.Y., got a 911 call from a person reporting suspicious sounds in a neighboring apartment. Lawyers for Nick Hillary react to acquittal in Garrett Phillips murder case, The defense team for Oral "Nick" Hillary reacted to the decision acquitting their client of second-degree murder in the murder case of 12-year-old Garrett Phillips. They struck up an easy conversation that, in short order, became a live-in relationship with a blended family. 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. (Hillary has denied visiting the apartment without Cyrus' permission. New York, 2011: Garrett Phillips, 12, is found strangled. said he had gone through the case files himself. By then, the D.A. The window is how it is believed that the killer escaped. "Even the appearance of impropriety is as devastating in its consequences to the judicial system as the actual impropriety itself," said Downs. Brian Phillips helped produce hundreds of yard signs that read "Justice for Garrett," with a picture of the boy, smiling. Rain, who was elected on her promise to crack Garretts case, saw her law license suspended for two years for misconduct, which included hiding potentially exculpatory evidence from the coachs defense team. The lead does not involve Nick Hillary, the person who was found not guilty of Garrett Phillips' murder. The neighbors knocked on the door, and heard what sounded like the door being locked and latched. Police have estimated that Garretts murder took place around 5pm neighbors called the police to complain of hearing strange noises coming from his apartment at 5:07pm. First, why the actual eff was he allowed to be in the interrogation room with Tandy? And the fact that his life has apparently remained much the same, while Hillary's was thrown into disarray, proves that. aired on HBO on Jul. NCPR checked in with Pasqua last month. Phillips was the 12-year-old boy who was fatally attacked at his home in Potsdam in 2011. 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. Nick was the head soccer coach at Clarkston University, and had played there himself. — -- 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. I think of Michelle McNamara: Did that book [Ill Be Gone in the Dark] solve that case? "It became very clear that the only place to get in or out, other than the front door that hadn't been utilized, was this window," he said. Mar 8, 2019. Nicks defense team said right away that the police had tunnel vision and said it was a race issue. Now, it looks like as if the case is not over after all not since new information made its way to police. Release Date (Streaming): Pasqua and local police have declined to comment. The group wrote a letter to DA Pasqua seeking an independent prosecutor two weeks ago. Also pictured is his defense team, Norman Siegel, left, Edward Narrow, right center, and Earl Ward, right. Nick Hillary 20/20 Interview After Found Not Guilty of Murder. It doesn't appear as though his daily life has been drastically altered following the case: without reports to the contrary, one can assume that he still resides in Potsdam, New York. 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. But at the same time, so many armchair sleuths, so many Reddit boards, so much discussion only increased the chances of it being solved.. It doesnt say what his relationship was like. The victim, Garrett Phillips, was only 12 years old. Let me know what you think in the comments. His arms were at his side and his legs close together. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 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. Tandy and Aaron have since moved out. On May 14, 2014, Nick was arrested and charged with second degree murder. HE HAD A KEY!!! 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. While Garrett was alive, his uncle said,the boy was deeply loved. Jones said he had had a "civil" conversation with Hillary in front of Hillary's home, but Hillary did not categorize it that way. 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. What 12-year-old kid just isnt right full of life? For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. He wore a T-shirt and blue-and-white checkered shorts. Weve been covering the case for over a year. He died at the hospital that night. There were people outside changing a tire, but they only reported hearing the window screen being pushed out, Murray said. Rain ran for district attorney of Potsdam in 2013 with a platform that specifically singled out Tandy Phillips, promising to prosecute someone for the murder of Garrett. Bastuk admits theyre just familiarizing the AGs office with the details of the case. "Theyre able to benefit from the mistakes that they learned. The police soon zeroed in on Nick Hillary, the ex-boyfriend of Tandy. When Hillary was acquitted this week, the judge said that his case was mostly circumstantial and didnt prove he was guilty without a doubt. The case does present a thicket of overlapping roles. Garrett was described as always being a happy kid, who always had a smile on his face. At 9pm, Dateline will air The Accused, which will focus on law enforcement and community response to the horrific crime, according to Syracuse.com. 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.. Shanna Hillary is the eldest of Nick Hillary's five children. But he backed off after the main suspect was acquitted. But the verdict came down as not guilty, and Tandy never ended up going on the record with Garbus. ", 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. Filling the benches behind, were foursquare supporters of Hillary across the aisle from Tandy's extended family. The last time Phillips was seen alive was on school surveillance footage, in which he's seen making his way home on a Riptide skateboard. The police found Garrett laying motionless. When asked if it was under investigation, Pasqua responded: "I think that's safe to say, yes.". In regards to the interesting and sad story about Garrett Phillips the 12- year old CHILD murdered victim. North Country Public Radio has learned that a local source reached out to state troopers last fall with a possible tip. "We weren't thinking it was a homicide immediately, but something had happened. The DNA was ruled immiscible, and the case was based on circumstantial evidence. But I hope Im wrong about that, Garbus tells Variety. Related stories:Nick Hillary's civil rights case, and how it links to a broader moment of reckoningJoining It Could Happen To You, the wrongful convictions groups, were local Black Lives Matter activists. When the police arrived on the scene, Phillips was still breathing. Two years after the slaying, Garretts mothers ex-boyfriend, Oral Nick Hillary, was arrested, tried for the murder and acquitted. The current district attorney, Gary Pasqua, has given Potsdam Police, now headed by Murray, new information pointing to a different suspect. "It was over five years whether it was selling stickers, selling T-shirts, [raising money for] the reward, " Brian Phillips said in an interview with NCPR last week. A lot of people discredit The Choke Out Theory, but after digging in to find something else other than tips called into the Potsdam Police Department I have tracked down this article that the DA's office has been looking into. Garretts family, especially his mom and uncle, Brian Phillips, believe Nick 100% killed Garrett. 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. Murray said the window screen was forced out, with just enough space to fit a body through. The medical examiner also collected DNA from under Garretts nails. Garrett and Aaron's school schedules were on the fridge and family portraits were on the wall. A few other people who were interviewed in this episode also said they didnt see a limp and it could have been the recording and camera. But you cant take race out of the picture the way in which white Americans are just more likely to look at Black people as capable of committing crimes. Following this, Hillary was then indicted for murder in the second degree, spending 70 days in prison before he was released on bail. I needed someone trained to put their emotions to the side., Oral "Nick" Hillary, center, hugs defense attorney Edward Narrow after being found not guilty in the murder of Garrett Phillips on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2016, in Canton, N.Y. (Jason Hunter/AP). The first afternoon, of many, spent rebuilding his life. Garrett lived at the apartment at 100 Market St. with his mother, Tandy Cyrus, and younger brother, Aaron. New pieces complicate Garrett Phillips murder storyPeople in St. Lawrence County know his face: the smiling, golden-haired 12-year-old boy, Garrett Phillips. And that's an important part of the lawsuit Hillary has since filed against many individuals involved in his case. Despite having only circumstantial evidence, the D.A. Garrett was taken to the local hospital where he was declared dead later that night. Advocates for the wrongfully accused are trying to draw new attention to the murder of Garrett Phillips in Potsdam nine years ago. This case is about a murdered 12 year old and the polices tunnel vision against one suspect. Hillary, after years in the bulls-eye of public opinion, also broke down in tears, a free man once more. The police asked him why he turned the opposite way. A 'Justice for Garrett' sign is pictured in an undated photo. proceeds with the case. Nick Hillary, Tandy Cyrus Collins, lawyer who questioned Hillary in civil suit to be featured on NBC https://t.co/EkWKVOTN1o #lawyer. Back at the apartment, the investigation was just beginning. "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. Jennifer Baxtron, organizer of many demonstrations in Potsdam and across St. Lawrence County, has collected 1,650 signatures on a petition calling for an independent investigation. The two-part HBO documentary Who Killed Garrett Phillips? doesnt solve the mystery but looks at the case through a critical lens. In April 2012, Nick filed a suit against the police department for how he was treated. No, the police did. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. According to Grantland, Officer Mark Wentworth investigated the apartment at 100 Market Street. 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