He added: "It was definitely frustrating. The mystery of what happened to Garrett Phillips continues. He also had deep rug burns, scratches on his face, a black eye and cauliflower ear. It was a dramatic tableau in an ornate courtroom. 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. Garbus says her team did analysis on that tape beyond what the police had done but no new developments came out of it. Phillips's final hours. Phillips was the 12-year-old boy who was fatally attacked at his home in Potsdam in 2011. They struck up an easy conversation that, in short order, became a live-in relationship with a blended family. After 22 witnesses testified and after a two week trial, Nick was found not guilty. The inside of the house where Garrett Phillips' body was found, is pictured on Sept. 27, 2016. There were people outside changing a tire, but they only reported hearing the window screen being pushed out, Murray said. Phillips also knows that the former DA, Mary Rain, had her law license suspended last summer. Nick was finally released, but they kept his clothes and took the cigarette butts from his pocket and drain. Over four hours, Garbuss Who Killed Garrett Phillips? painstakingly covers the surprising murder that rocked the small town in Northern New York in 2011. There was very little energy around anything else in this case., Over time, as Garbus kept asking the key players in the case to relive and rehash the nitty, gritty details, she says she doesnt feel that changed. Tandy and Nick had moved in together for a brief time, but according to family of Garretts, Nick and Garrett didnt get along. Shanna testified that Hillary was home with her at the . "In my mind, that investigation is still out there.". The police wanted to locate Garretts family and tell them what had happened. 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. He was interviewed in the episode, but he mainly talked shit about Nick. Oral "Nick" Hillary still coaches soccer. On Wednesday morning, Hillary was found not guilty by a judge, after a two-week long trial. The people who lived downstairs didn't report hearing or seeing anything, Murray said. Nick did say he was at the high school that day, watching a soccer game. 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The sentiment in the town echoes Rains idea that the killer got off, so theres not a lot of public pressure to investigate a killer who might be on the loose, Garbus said. 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 Garrett Phillips case is just full of the appearance of impropriety.". 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 they havent been in touch with Garrett Phillips family. aired on HBO on Jul. Nick had to leave the station that day in a hazmat suit. The police also made Nick strip down in the nude, so they could take photographs. It's simple.. aired on HBO on Jul. Director Liz Garbus Writer Karen Sim Stars Oral Hillary Brian Phillips Tyler Rodrigues See production, box office & company info Watch on Prime Video They tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital around 7pm. Fourteen at the time of the murder, she was one of his two alibi witnesses. The case does present a thicket of overlapping roles. In the wake of the shocking murder of the boy -- in the very early hours of the investigation -- Tandy and her family believed that Nick Hillary was the likely killer. There are no clues as to who killed Garrett. After it ended in an acquittal, Phillips said he had to draw back. He spent more than two decades asa homicide detectivein Washington, D.C., where he eventually opened a cold case unit. 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. But where was the evidence to put before a jury? He was just all about control.". Just like his father, spitting image of my brother, a heck of a little athlete. Oral "Nick" Hillary and Tandy Cyrus are pictured in an undated photo. But then when we looked at it closer. In most cases, there's a hierarchy. Though the crime happened almost five years ago, the whodunit of it all has consumed this quiet area. Back at the apartment, the investigation was just beginning. Garrett had been strangled and suffocated. (Courtesy of HBO ). Hillary got back with Lee after the death of Phillips, the New York Times reported in 2011. The new documentary Who Killed Garrett Phillips?, airing on HBO July 23 and 24, looks into the unsolved 2011 death of a 12-year-old boy by that name. Bastuk admits theyre just familiarizing the AGs office with the details of the case. Police went up the apartment building stairs and into the home, where they found Garrett unconscious and alone inside. First, why the actual eff was he allowed to be in the interrogation room with Tandy? However, if youre innocent, why would it matter? https://www.oxygen.com/martinis-murder/who-killed-garret-phillips-theories, https://heavy.com/news/2016/09/garrett-phillips-abc-news-2020-trial-potsdam-obituary-nick-hillary-websleuths/, https://philosophyofcrime.com/the-murder-of-garrett-phillips/, https://www.nny360.com/news/crime/garrett-phillips-revisited-recent-leads-in-murder-case-fall-flat/article_615185e3-73a4-511c-a287-43c85b845d14.html. And that's an important part of the lawsuit Hillary has since filed against many individuals involved in his case. It's an unlikely setting for what reporter Jesse McKinley of the New York Times would tell us turned out to be a story about "love triangles and fated love." After all, she notes, the Justice for Garrett campaign became Get Nick Hillary. They were always, always intertwined. Police suspect the killer escaped through this window. civil actions filed against DA Rain and Jones, circumstantial evidence against him and Hillary. No one else has ever been named a suspect. The DA says an investigation is ongoing, but its hard to know if police are taking the new information seriously. She was raising two boys, he had three kids from a past relationship. The current district attorney, Gary Pasqua, has given Potsdam Police, now headed by Murray, new information pointing to a different suspect. After Garrett is seen turning towards his house, the car is seen following him. After Nick Hillary was found not guilty almost four years ago in a trial that captivated the North Country and gained national headlines, local police and prosecutors declared the case closed, insisting on Hillary's guilt. he was with his girlfriend til 11pm (his girlfriends mom confirmed this). When we met Hillary before his trial, we talked about his early years growing up in a large family in Jamaica. After the trial ended in 2016, Murray told NCPR, were confident we prosecuted the right person.. Garrett lived at the apartment at 100 Market St. with his mother, Tandy Cyrus, and younger brother, Aaron. He was 12. (Courtesy of HBO ). Potsdam's chief of police is now Mark Murray, who was lead detective on the Garrett Phillips investigation. 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. He was read his rights. Hammond, Norfolk teens jailed on charges of sex abuse, endangering the welfare of child . Chronicling the five years after the murder, the film is an eye-opening look at how justice is delivered and delayed. There was a blue car that the police zeroed in on. They realized that the killer could have had an injury since the jump was pretty far. Phillips was the 12-year-old boy who was fatally Mar 08, 2019 A St. Lawrence County prosecutor says there's a new tip in the Garrett Phillips murder case. He loved sports, being with his friends and ripsticking (kind of like skateboarding, but your back leg always moves). After the schoolboys body was found suffocated and strangled, all fingers pointed to Nick as the murderer. The coachs daughter Shanna-Kay Hillary testified for her father and said he was in their house at the time of Garretts murder. Cyrus says that when she showed up at the hospital, her son had bruises all over his face, and Marks on his neck. A 'Justice for Garrett' sign is pictured in an undated photo. This case is about a murdered 12 year old and the polices tunnel vision against one suspect. Director Liz Garbus is pictured in an undated photo. Sky Crime launched the documentary Who Killed Garrett Phillips? Nick and Tandy met while Tandy was working part time as a bartender. They knew that Garrett and his brother lived there and had heard noises before, but never this loud. Weve been covering the case for over a year. Garrett Phillips was a 12 year old boy who lived with his mom, Tandy and brother, Aaron, in Potsdam, New York. The Accused: With Lester Holt. There was really nothing beyond whats in the film that we were able to learn.. By then, the D.A. 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. "To date we do not know who murdered that 12 year-old boy," said WilliamBastuk, executive director of It Could Happen To You, a Rochester-based not-for-profit that fights to overturn wrongful convictions. The lawn signs of a grinning 12-year-old boy demanding Justice for Garrett remain scattered around the town. Tandy Cyrus, Garretts mom, was at her other sons basketball practice. 1. Easily explained." He looked like he was sleeping.. Tonight, ABC News' and Dateline will both. "It was a true tragedy," he said. Privacy Policy. HE HAD A KEY!!! Tandy and Aaron have since moved out. Phillips refused to make an example out of anyone. Director: Liz Garbus. Garbus film, which debuts on Tuesday, uses police footage and photos, video evidence and interviews to recount what went wrong in meticulous detail. After about a year together, Tandy moved out with her sons. Dateline's been covering the case of Garrett Phillips for over a year. When he entered, he found an adolescent boy, just around the corner, lying on his back in the master bedroom, with his head facing the door. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. That trial could begin later this fall. 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. Join now Sign in . "We weren't thinking it was a homicide immediately, but something had happened. 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. His white mom names black ex-boyfriend Nick Hillary as most likely to kill Garret. Nick soon asked for a lawyer, food and cigarettes. His brilliant field leadership at St. Lawrence, next door to Potsdam, had made him a college All-American. But he backed off after the main suspect was acquitted. 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. Rain said she was "100% certain" she'd prosecuted the right person. https://www.nny360.com/news/new-leads-surface-in-phillips-murder/article_129462bd-bed2-53ab-b550-39d06dfacc74.html. Pasqua and local police have declined to comment. Clearly, the film won't be . Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. On Oct. 24, 2011, a dispatcher in Potsdam, N.Y., got a 911 call from a person reporting suspicious sounds in a neighboring apartment. They also heard someone saying no and crying out for help. The duo were joined by lawyer Mani Tafari, who also shared his view on the case. The accused was Nick Hillary, 37 years old at the time of the boy's death. A state investigator whos close with the murdered boys family. Its so heartbreaking, and I feel bad for his family. For years, one of the loudest voices demanding justice for Garrett Phillips belonged to his uncle. The police asked him why he turned the opposite way. And yet, in that security video of Garrett on his skateboard, wasn't that Nick driving his Honda CRV though the high school parking lot just after Garrett skated by? The police also noticed Nicks ankle was swollen and he had an abrasion on his ankle. David SommersteinGroups call for independent probe of Garret Phillips murder. They were biased right away. 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. 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. Garrett Phillips was strangled in his familys second-floor apartment in upstate Potsdam in October 2011. She attended soccer practice after school, and when she arrived home at 4:30pm, her father was there. I personally dont think Nick killed Garrett, but theres just no proof of him doing it. The window is how it is believed that the killer escaped. Years ago, Nick patronized a bar on Potsdam's main drag where the bartender was a single mother. The night that her son died, she had no idea what had happened. Thats why Who Killed Garrett Phillips? devotes so much time to following Hillary himself. "He was something else. Police said they tested every person with access to the apartment, including residents and maintenance staff. Dec 18, 2020. He died at the hospital that night. All of other window screens in the home were intact, Murray said. At that point "we weren't sure what we had," Murray told "20/20." Bastuk said local law enforcement is too compromised and an independent prosecutor needs to take over. "Mr. Jones went on to say that if I was sleeping with his ex-girlfriend he would have 'kicked in my door,'" Hillary said. For more information, please see our Two years after the slaying, Garretts mothers ex-boyfriend, Oral Nick Hillary, was arrested, tried for the murder and acquitted. with hopes to shed more light on the devastating case. Jones was briefly a suspect in the murder as well, though he didn't receive nearly the same level of scrutiny that Hillary did. Advocates for the wrongfully accused are trying to draw new attention to the murder of Garrett Phillips in Potsdam nine years ago. Garrett was found unconscious in his home and died that night due to injuries inflicted by a yet unknown perpetrator. Since then, St. Lawrence County law enforcement has been unable to piece together the facts surrounding this tragedy and bring . Garbus and her crew interviewed him many times, filmed him with his kids and in his home, and included footage of his 2016 trial. Related stories:A phone call from inside the investigationSteve Downs, former chief attorney for New Yorks Commission on Judicial Conduct, said Friday that state rulings require avoiding those potential conflicts. 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]. But at the same time, so many armchair sleuths, so many Reddit boards, so much discussion only increased the chances of it being solved.. 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. Also pictured is his defense team, Norman Siegel, left, Edward Narrow, right center, and Earl Ward, right. Garretts family, especially his mom and uncle, Brian Phillips, believe Nick 100% killed Garrett. Pictured is the 100 Market St. apartment building in Potsdam, New York. It wasnt until later that Cyrus was finally informed that her son was strangled to death. July 24, 2019. In 2015, Hillary had also alleged that he'd been harassed by Jones in 2010, which was reported by NNY 360. Ms. After first reading about the case in a New York Times article, Garbus recalls being struck by the thematic issues and concerns that, I think, are ones that spoke to larger systemic problems. Specifically what caught her attention was that the local polices focus was on one of Phillips mothers ex-boyfriends, a Jamaican American man who was well-known around town as a soccer coach, despite the fact that he had an alibi and that there had been rumblings of other possible suspects early on. Tafari, a lawyer who provided legal support to his former Tilden High School friend, doesnt believe this film can change a corrupt system. Dismiss. In April 2012, Nick filed a suit against the police department for how he was treated. Yet somehow, within hours, police. In March 2019, North Country Public Radio reported that Hillary had filed a lawsuit against the New York State Police, St. Lawrence prosecutors, local police, St. Lawrence County District Attorney Mary Rain, and Jones, who was a Sheriff's Deputy in St. Lawrence County. Cyrus did not want to participate. "Thats not gonna change.". Apparently, the town of Potsdam is split about if Nick is guilty or innocent. The apartment is on the second floor of the roughly 100-year-old building, Murray said. Then, at the hospital, she found out he was in cardiac arrest. (Courtesy of HBO ). Photo: Brit Hanson, Brian Phillips pushed hard to get a resolution to his nephew's case. Garbus questioned them about their missteps and lack of physical or DNA evidence tying Hillary to the crime. The cops checked out the alibis of the significant men in Tandy's life, including a sheriff's deputy, but they seemed to always have their sights on Hillary. 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. Oral "Nick" Hillary and Tandy Cyrus are pictured in an undated photo. Though the crime happened almost five years ago, the whodunit of it all has consumed this quiet area. 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.". On the last day of his life, he went home after school and was home alone where he should have been safe, but apparently wasnt. Before he spoke with NCPR, Trainum reviewed press clippings and media coverage to familiarize himself with the Garrett Phillips case. On that rainy afternoon in October 2011, police responded to the scene at just after 5 p.m. after next-door neighbors heard concerning noises from Garrett's apartment and called 911. Nick Hillary's defense had elected to waive a jury trial and argue directly to the judge. As Tandy would tell us, Nick was rigid -- a man with a plan for every day. Part 1 of Who Killed Garrett Phillips? "It still is. On October 24, 2011, the neighbors of Garretts heard noises coming from next door. Despite having only circumstantial evidence, the D.A. They moved in just months before Garrett died, after Cyrus and Hillary broke up. You know, outlandish thoughts like, 'Maybe Garrett fell out the window and made his way back up here and died,' or an accident happened in the apartment and one of the kids didn't wanna get caught or in trouble, so he went out the window. A security camera recorded Garrett skating home from an afternoon of basketball with his school pals just before 5 p.m. A St. Lawrence County prosecutor says there's a new tip in the Garrett Phillips murder case. For five years my family and I have been livin underneath this cloud, said Nick. Hillary, after years in the bulls-eye of public opinion, also broke down in tears, a free man once more. It concerns a group of people who were living in the North Country around the time of the murder. That process has a name sentinel event review. Garrett was described as always being a happy kid, who always had a smile on his face.
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