I probably will the rest of my life," Phillips said. Powered by. He was 12. Bastuk admits theyre just familiarizing the AGs office with the details of the case. However, if youre innocent, why would it matter? The judge took it all in and after about a week of both sides summing up their arguments, he came back with a verdict. We need to start a true dialogue about how can we bring forth changes, he explained. Original Language: English. Read Next: WGAs David Young Bows Out of Negotiations Due to Medical Leave, Bridget Everetts Comedy Can Be Blue on Stage But Somebody Somewhere Leans Into the Tender Moments, Inside the Naomi-Verse With Ava DuVernay and Kaci Walfall, Woody Harrelson Slams COVID Set Protocols as 'Nonsense,' Urges Hollywood to 'Stop' Forcing 'Vaccination': Thats 'Not a Free Country', Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania Writer Surprised by Terrible Reviews: I Was in a Low Spot and Really Sad About It, Super Mario Bros. Movie Is Releasing Two Days Early, 'Perfect Match' Star Joey Sasso on Running Around Panama to Find an Engagement Ring, How Much It Cost and What Viewers Didnt See, Michael B. Jordan Meets Reporter at 'Creed III' Premiere Who 'Teased Him all the Time' in High School: 'I Was the Corny Kid, Right? And Nick doesnt have any of that right now. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. He has maintained his innocence since day one telling Elizabeth Vargas, I have absolutely nothing to do with what has happened to Garrett. Advocates say raise it first, DEC says 2022 tied for the safest hunting season on record, Governor Kathy Hochul Releases New York State Budget, New York redistricting commission to hold final public hearings this week, New York unlikely to have a new chief judge until later this spring, Adirondack Council leader to step down later this year, Stefanik opens district office in Rensselaer County Government building, Budget watchdog says NY should plan for an upcoming "fiscal cliff", Community Advisory Board (NCPR Executive Council). Jones held Cyrus' hand and comforted her as she was interviewed by the police. A 'Justice for Garrett' sign is pictured in an undated photo. The filmmaker interviewed Mark Murray, who headed the police investigation, Mary Rain, the former St. Lawrence County district attorney, and William Fitzpatrick, the Onondaga County district attorney who headed the trial team. Police soon said it was a homicide. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. Garrett and his family lived on the second floor, so the police determined that the killer would have had to jump on the landing and then down to the ground. "But the day of the verdict, something just hit me. He was, they said, the only person in town with a grudge against Garrett, blaming him, the family argued, for the break-up of his relationship with Tandy. Text. After 22 witnesses testified and after a two week trial, Nick was found not guilty. I believe John Jones committed the murder. His mothers ex-boyfriend, Nick Hillary, was found not guilty of the murder just over two years ago in a trial that captivated the region. Jones said he had had a "civil" conversation with Hillary in front of Hillary's home, but Hillary did not categorize it that way. Garbus questioned them about their missteps and lack of physical or DNA evidence tying Hillary to the crime. In an unusual case, there was another twist. Nick tried to leave for work, and the police blocked the door. Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. His white mom names black ex-boyfriend Nick Hillary as most likely to kill Garret. Bastuk says now is the time to draw national attention to a murder case thats been unsolved for too long. He wore a T-shirt and blue-and-white checkered shorts. With the case still very much open and unsolved, justice for Phillips has not been achieved. What do you think about this case? We did hear these rumors, and we wanted, as much as we could, to go out and explore them and accompany local journalists, Garbus says, but there really was so little [to go on]. -- 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 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. The police went to Nicks soccer game the day after the murder, and recorded him on the sideline. After the schoolboys body was found suffocated and strangled, all fingers pointed to Nick as the murderer. premieres on HBO on Tuesday, July 23 at 8/7c. Pictured is the 100 Market St. apartment building in Potsdam, New York. Fast forward to October 24, 2011. Hillary, after years in the bulls-eye of public opinion, also broke down in tears, a free man once more. His brilliant field leadership at St. Lawrence, next door to Potsdam, had made him a college All-American. The prosecution, he ruled, had not made its circumstantial case "beyond a reasonable doubt." Nick said he had nothing against the boy or his mother and that his alibi witnesses, his daughter and an assistant coach, would place him elsewhere at the time of the murder. The police asked him why he turned the opposite way. "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. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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.. The big question now is how law enforcements following up. That process has a name sentinel event review. There were people outside changing a tire, but they only reported hearing the window screen being pushed out, Murray said. Garrett didnt ever want to be alone with Nick, even though Nick said he never had any problems with Garrett. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. And they havent been in touch with Garrett Phillips family. Dismiss. The DNA was ruled immiscible, and the case was based on circumstantial evidence. If Carranza, the dude changing a tire at 100 Market, saw a black man in the window, could it have been Amos? The window is approximately 20 feet above the ground, Murray said. And the fact that his life has apparently remained much the same, while Hillary's was thrown into disarray, proves that. Police collected fingerprints from the window; they are not Hillary's and have never been identified, Murray said. The next part of the investigation was from a surveillance camera. And, once I started working on the film, I realized that another major issue was the lack of oversight and the free reign given to the district attorneys.. No prints or hairs from the scene matched the police's suspect, Hillary. Would love your thoughts, please comment. The duo were joined by lawyer Mani Tafari, who also shared his view on the case. Why would I even want to hurt a child, after having worked with kids for over two decades? He was a popular, athletic kid. He added: "It was definitely frustrating. "Even the appearance of impropriety is as devastating in its consequences to the judicial system as the actual impropriety itself," said Downs. Apparently, the town of Potsdam is split about if Nick is guilty or innocent. Fourteen at the time of the murder, she was one of his two alibi witnesses. When the police arrived on the scene, Phillips was still breathing. New information has come to light and is being investigated in the 2011 murder of 12-year-old Garrett J. Phillips. His mother's ex-boyfriend, Nick Hillary, was found not guilty of the murder just over two years ago in a. They realized that the killer could have had an injury since the jump was pretty far. The Murder of Garrett Phillips: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Bastuk said local law enforcement is too compromised and an independent prosecutor needs to take over. The mystery of what happened to Garrett Phillips continues. This video proves nothing. 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? The murder trial began in the county seat, Canton, New York this month. Since then, St. Lawrence County law enforcement has been unable to piece together the facts surrounding this tragedy and bring . They immediately called an ambulance. Garrett Phillips was a 12 year old boy who lived with his mom, Tandy and brother, Aaron, in Potsdam, New York. and our Prosecutors also referenced two interviews Shanna-Kay gave in 2014 and 2015 in both interviews, she said she ate dinner at 6pm. Gary Pasqua in his office near the St. Lawrence County courthouse. (Courtesy of HBO ), There was systemic racism and police tunnel vision but when both are linked it becomes really problematic, Garbus explained. 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. It just blows my mind.. Murray said the window screen was forced out, with just enough space to fit a body through. The lawn signs of a grinning 12-year-old boy demanding Justice for Garrett remain scattered around the town. And that was the tunnel vision., And that was on what Garbus wanted to shine a larger light with this project. After Hillary was cleared, Rain claimed the case was closed because she still believed he was guilty, which is crazy, according to Garbus. Trainum is part of a growing movement that encourages police and prosecutors to check their work with these reviews. Sky Crime launched the documentary Who Killed Garrett Phillips? Phillips was the 12-year-old boy who was fatally attacked at his home in Potsdam in 2011. The prosecutor would thunder that the camera had in fact recorded Nick out "hunting" for the boy just minutes before his death. The victim, Garrett Phillips, was only 12 years old. As of this week, the source who originally contributed the new lead said that they have not been contacted by Potsdam investigators roughly six months since this person first attempted to share information with law enforcement. NCPR checked in with Pasqua last month. True crime is popular because theres a healthy impulse to want these things to be solved, Garbus says. July 18, 2019 2:39 pm ET. Oral "Nick" Hillary and Tandy Cyrus are pictured in an undated photo. We reached out to Murray this winter ask how hes handling the investigation, but he declined to comment. He denied any butt-head moment with Garrett, or spats over homework or chores. It would take 18 more months for any more information about what happened to Garrett would come to light. Garrett Cunningham Expand search. It was two days after 12 year-old Garrett Phillips was found strangled to death in his home in Potsdam. Forty minutes later, he was found strangled to death in his mother's bedroom. Tandy Cyrus, Garretts mom, was at her other sons basketball practice. The police also made Nick strip down in the nude, so they could take photographs. Nick said he went home after. Cookie Notice 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 since moved back to the city, where he coaches soccer and wishes the film will put pressure on cops to solve the murder. But going forward, it looks like industry-shifting life sciences Photo: David Sommerstein, D.A. Whether Phillips mother agrees remains to be seen. On May 14, 2014, Nick was arrested and charged with second degree murder. Who Killed Garrett Phillips? airs July 23 and 24 on HBO. One DA declined to pursue an indictment and was eventually voted out of office. A St. Lawrence County prosecutor says there's a new tip in the Garrett Phillips murder case. Inside the home that day, "Everything was very clean," Murray said. Police suspect the killer escaped through this window. (Courtesy of HBO ). The two-part HBO documentary "Who Killed. The new DA made the case her central mission and finally got a grand Jury to indict Nick Hillary. Nick is targeted. But the verdict came down as not guilty, and Tandy never ended up going on the record with Garbus. 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. Hillary claims Potsdam and St. Lawrence County law enforcement violated his civil rights, in part because hes Black. Since moving to New York, I've associated Kips Bay with decent curry and a cheap pint. She said they were still intimate that night, but she demanded her key back. Despite having only circumstantial evidence, the D.A. In a complaint filed to the county attorney's office, Hillary claimed that Jones "trailed [him] home in his truck" in September 2010, then knocked on his door to ask him about his "romantic relationship with a certain individual." ", "That day, I pulled the sign out of my yard. After Nick was done smoking, he kept the butts in his pocket and even put one in the drain. I was in complete shock, she told ABC News. The car is seen driving to the back of the lot into a parking space. Per The Daily Beast, Jones was involved in the immediate aftermath of Phillips' death; he went with Phillips' mother to police interviews and called dispatchers to get information on what was going on. He was the last person seen with him and he was know to be violent and committed a confirmed violent act. Nick was finally released, but they kept his clothes and took the cigarette butts from his pocket and drain. Tonight, ABC News and Dateline will both investigate the 2011 murder of Garrett Phillips. Garrett had been strangled and suffocated. He said he had gotten it a week ago from moving furniture. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. On October 24, 2011, the neighbors of Garretts heard noises coming from next door. Photo: David Sommerstein, Oral "Nick" Hillary was found not guilty on Wednesday in the 2011 murder of twelve-year-old Garrett Phillips. For five years my family and I have been livin underneath this cloud, said Nick. "Nothing in the living room area was out of place," Murray said. "And so, whos going to challenge him?". There were many similarities in Hillary and Jones: they were both romantically connected to Phillips' mother and they were both allegedly seen in proximity to Phillips before the murder. 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. Its season 6 episode 2 titled Home Alone.. he was with his girlfriend til 11pm (his girlfriends mom confirmed this). That trial could begin later this fall. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 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. Starting with talking heads with the neighbors who first called 9-1-1 after hearing a crash and ominous moaning coming from inside the Phillips apartment, Garbus takes her audience back to Phillips last moments and then expands the story to include similar interviews with police and journalists alike who investigated the crime, as well as the former district attorney who pushed for an arrest, Phillips uncle Brian, and the man who stood trial for the crime (Hillary). The two-part HBO documentary Who Killed Garrett Phillips? doesnt solve the mystery but looks at the case through a critical lens. After medics rushed the boy to the hospital two blocks away, Wentworth noticed that one of the window blinds in another bedroom had been damaged. https://www.nny360.com/news/new-leads-surface-in-phillips-murder/article_129462bd-bed2-53ab-b550-39d06dfacc74.html. Prosecutors have also said they will not reopen the investigation. Though the crime happened almost five years ago, the whodunit of it all has consumed this quiet area. (Hillary has denied visiting the apartment without Cyrus' permission. Part 1 of Who Killed Garrett Phillips? However, Postdam is apparently really small, so if you go a different way it doesnt take long to be back where you started. Is Nick guilty or innocent? Phillips also knows that the former DA, Mary Rain, had her law license suspended last summer. He said: Its important to note I think that the cops may have been somewhat intellectually challenged, but the district attorney that prosecuted this case has been a district attorney for three decades, thats thirty years in New York. A silent picture of a kid on a skateboard moves into the frame from lower right, sails past for about 16-seconds and exits frame left. He loved sports, being with his friends and ripsticking (kind of like skateboarding, but your back leg always moves). Advocates for the wrongfully accused are trying to draw new attention to the murder of Garrett Phillips in Potsdam nine years ago. Garretts family, especially his mom and uncle, Brian Phillips, believe Nick 100% killed Garrett. In April 2012, Nick filed a suit against the police department for how he was treated. 24. Garrett Phillips was twelve years old when he was murdered It doesn't appear that Jones's daily life has been drastically changed following the case: without negative reports, one can imagine that he still resides in Potsdam, New York. There was a blue car that the police zeroed in on. But I hope Im wrong about that, Garbus tells Variety. Nick also denied this ever happened. The issues around race and policing and prosecutorial misconduct have been huge issues across our nation. They're calling for the state Attorney General. "It was a true tragedy," he said. Her father said Ill be right back through the door, and when she got out of the shower 20 minutes later, her father was home. Also the Mom of Brandon's girlfriend also overheard Brandon talking about this unidentified male. Garrett Phillips was strangled in his family's second-floor apartment in upstate Potsdam in October 2011. When he arrived back home to the second-floor apartment he shared with his mother and younger brother , someone would strangle and suffocate the life out of the boy. David SommersteinGroups call for independent probe of Garret Phillips murder. Hillary was the ex-boyfriend of Phillips' mother Tandy Cyrus, but another of her exes, John Jones, proved to be a key figure in the case as well. Hillary was considered a suspect because he was an ex-boyfriend of the boy's mother. Ive probably seen every show on this case, but for my research I watched Deadline Crime with Tamron Hall. 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Mom confirmed this ) family, especially his mom and uncle, Brian Phillips, was at her other basketball! Apartment building in Potsdam, new York, I & # x27 ; s.! Strangled in his home in Potsdam in 2011 beyond a reasonable doubt. a suspect he. To the murder, and Tandy never ended up going on the record with Garbus night but... On this case, but he declined to comment always garrett phillips last words ) and even put one in 2011! Guilty on Wednesday in the drain its season 6 episode 2 titled home alone.. he was his. Zeroed in on friends and ripsticking ( kind of like skateboarding, but she demanded her back... With what has happened to Garrett would come to light and is investigated.

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