Phillips's final hours. (Courtesy of HBO ). And that was the tunnel vision., And that was on what Garbus wanted to shine a larger light with this project. She said they were still intimate that night, but she demanded her key back. We need to start a true dialogue about how can we bring forth changes, he explained. The duo were joined by lawyer Mani Tafari, who also shared his view on the case. July 24, 2019. And they havent been in touch with Garrett Phillips family. 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]. 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. In the gallery, Tandy slumped and cried. He found Nick Hillary not guilty. The camera recorded Garrett ripsticking home on the day of the murder. I personally dont think Nick killed Garrett, but theres just no proof of him doing it. "And so, whos going to challenge him?". Garrett didnt ever want to be alone with Nick, even though Nick said he never had any problems with Garrett. "It was a true tragedy," he said. HE HAD A KEY!!! he was with his girlfriend til 11pm (his girlfriends mom confirmed this). 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. 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.. But then when we looked at it closer. There was really nothing beyond whats in the film that we were able to learn.. Garrett Phillips was strangled in his family's second-floor apartment in upstate Potsdam in October 2011. The Phillipps family was victims of prosecutorial misconduct, as well as Nick, says Garbus. His rip stick was neatly propped up against the wall. For years, no one was named in Phillips death. he was with his dad cutting wood (his dad confirmed this), 2.) According to North Country Now, that includes civil actions filed against DA Rain and Jones. Garretts family, especially his mom and uncle, Brian Phillips, believe Nick 100% killed Garrett. The car is seen driving to the back of the lot into a parking space. 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. He was 12. 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. True crime is popular because theres a healthy impulse to want these things to be solved, Garbus says. But he backed off after the main suspect was acquitted. 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. What do you think about this case? Also pictured is his defense team, Norman Siegel, left, Edward Narrow, right center, and Earl Ward, right. 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. So we had intelligent people, people with a lot of power working to deny him of his freedom, knowing that hes innocent., Teacher who misgendered trans pupil 'was acting like a preacher', Teacher sacked for restraining 'out of control pupil' wins unfair dismissal claim, Emergency assemblies and extra staff: how schools are tackling Andrew Tate, He added: District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, he knew there was no evidence, and he said quote after Nick was acquitted: I have locked people up with much less evidence than this.. Though the crime happened almost five years ago, the whodunit of it all has consumed this quiet area. Then, at the hospital, she found out he was in cardiac arrest. Pasqua and local police have declined to comment. Sky Crime launched the documentary Who Killed Garrett Phillips? He had minutes left to live. "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. The apartment that Jones helped Cyrus find was the same spot where Phillips was found gravely hurt. is available to stream on Sky Crime. Rain said she was "100% certain" she'd prosecuted the right person. 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.. Garrett and Aaron's school schedules were on the fridge and family portraits were on the wall. 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? 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. Photo: Lauren Rosenthal. 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. I probably will the rest of my life," Phillips said. 23, with Part 2 following the next night on Jul. Oral "Nick" Hillary still coaches soccer. Police suspect the killer jumped out it after strangling Garrett. Who Killed Garrett Phillips? aired on HBO on Jul. The police soon zeroed in on Nick Hillary, the ex-boyfriend of Tandy. 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. About his hitch in the U.S. Army. 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. In 2011, Garrett Phillips, who was just 12-years-old, was killed in his upstate New York home. The coachs daughter Shanna-Kay Hillary testified for her father and said he was in their house at the time of Garretts murder. I think of Michelle McNamara: Did that book [Ill Be Gone in the Dark] solve that case? They realized that the killer could have had an injury since the jump was pretty far. The police had a theory about the motivation, a story about obsessive love gone wrong. Related: Nick Hillary Found Not Guilty in Murder of 12-Year-Old Garrett Phillips. The signs became iconic in Potsdam. Thats why Who Killed Garrett Phillips? devotes so much time to following Hillary himself. Phillips was the 12-year-old boy who was fatally attacked at his home in Potsdam in 2011. In 2011, 12-year-old Garrett Phillips was killed in his upstate New York home. 24. On the morning of October 26, 2011, Hillary, then a soccer coach in Potsdam, was summoned to the Potsdam police station. David SommersteinGroups call for independent probe of Garret Phillips murder. Nick told the police that he was with his assistant coach, a man named Ian at the time of the murder. Now, she hopes her doc will put similar pressure on the story so that maybe her titular question can finally be answered. Just to say, I tried. For five years my family and I have been livin underneath this cloud, said Nick. Before he spoke with NCPR, Trainum reviewed press clippings and media coverage to familiarize himself with the Garrett Phillips case. 3. This case is currently still unsolved after a not guilty verdict. North County Public Radio - NPR for the Adirondack North Country, Jennifer Baxtron (front center) of Black Lives Matter in Potsdam and William Bastuk (front right) of It Could Happen To You called on the state Attorney General's office to launch a special investigation into the unsolved Garret Phillips murder from 2011. They moved in just months before Garrett died, after Cyrus and Hillary broke up. But their approaches to parenting seemed very different. The police found Garrett laying motionless. On September 21, Hillarys daughter, Shanna-Kay, took the stand to defend her father. "Sees the people down there or hears them changing the tire, and waits until the coast is clear to make the jump.". (Courtesy of HBO ). He looked like he was sleeping.. A 'Justice for Garrett' sign is pictured in an undated photo. 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. After being found not guilty of murder, former college soccer coach Nick Hillary opened up to ABC News' Elizabeth Vargas for his first post-verdict interview. Police said they tested every person with access to the apartment, including residents and maintenance staff. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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). Tandy Cyrus, Garretts mom, was at her other sons basketball practice. Tonight, ABC News' and Dateline will both. 2. Yet, the suspect was indicted for a second time before he was found innocent by Judge Felix Catena, in 2016. 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. 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. Meanwhile Garretts autopsy was done. Garrett Phillips was a 12 year old boy who lived with his mom, Tandy and brother, Aaron, in Potsdam, New York. First, why the actual eff was he allowed to be in the interrogation room with Tandy? His killer is still out there. "To keep dredging up that case and to continue to put people in the spotlight who Im sure dont want to be in the spotlight like Garrett Phillips family," Pasqua said. "You would think, like, wouldn't someone hear somebody yelling, or see something or do anything? Since moving to New York, I've associated Kips Bay with decent curry and a cheap pint. They also heard someone saying no and crying out for help. But despite being a free man, it seems Hillary is still struggling to clear his name in his community. Police collected fingerprints from the window; they are not Hillary's and have never been identified, Murray said. Even more interesting is that Brandon has a cousin who was 15 at the time named Amos who is black and Hillary's lawyer believes they have information that puts Amos and Brandon at the scene and may have information regarding the murder. with hopes to shed more light on the devastating case. 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. This led to Hillarys arrest, which satisfied Brian Phillips, who still passionately professes his belief that Hillary is guilty in Garbus doc. His arms were at his side and his legs close together. 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. Jones held Cyrus' hand and comforted her as she was interviewed by the police. 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. 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. Phillips was the 12-year-old boy who was fatally attacked at his home in Potsdam in 2011. July 18, 2019 2:39 pm ET. Since then, St. Lawrence County law enforcement has been unable to piece together the facts surrounding this tragedy and bring . Police suspect the killer escaped through this window. 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. They called 911 around 5:08pm. "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. Variety is a part of Penske Media Corporation. He argued that Garrett was the victim of overzealous prosecutors and poor defense attorneys. 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. All of other window screens in the home were intact, Murray said. Hammond, Norfolk teens jailed on charges of sex abuse, endangering the welfare of child . And Nick doesnt have any of that right now. 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Photo: David Sommerstein, Oral "Nick" Hillary was found not guilty on Wednesday in the 2011 murder of twelve-year-old Garrett Phillips. "There is obviously no resolution to Garrett Phillips murder," Pasqua said at the time. "I dont know that its fair to them to keep reliving it unless something new or different happens. When Hillary was acquitted this week, the judge said that his case was mostly circumstantial and didnt prove he was guilty without a doubt. An officer arrived on the scene and found 12-year-old Garrett . Over four hours, Garbuss Who Killed Garrett Phillips? painstakingly covers the surprising murder that rocked the small town in Northern New York in 2011. ", So far, this new lead doesnt seem to count as "something different. Read more at watertowndailytimes.com. Ms. I have so many questions about the ex-boyfriend, John Jones. A deputy sheriff as a suspect who also helps the investigation. They couldnt break down the door, so they got the manager to unlock the door, which was locked from the inside. "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. ", Brian Phillips, Garretts uncle, said he hadn't been notified about the existence of any tips but he also admitted he's not too interested in continuing to hear them. Again, I saw an abrasion, but it ankle didnt look swollen to me. A St. Lawrence County prosecutor says there's a new tip in the Garrett Phillips murder case. Yet somehow, within hours, police. The police went to Nicks soccer game the day after the murder, and recorded him on the sideline. But no one would see his killer leap out of the back window. Nick Hillary 20/20 Interview After Found Not Guilty of Murder. Back at the apartment, the investigation was just beginning. He was read his rights. But Hillary and a vocal group of supporters say that he has been wrongfully accused. 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. Dec 18, 2020. There was a blue car that the police zeroed in on. 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. New York, 2011: Garrett Phillips, 12, is found strangled. While Garrett was alive, his uncle said,the boy was deeply loved. After all, she notes, the Justice for Garrett campaign became Get Nick Hillary. They were always, always intertwined. It was a dramatic tableau in an ornate courtroom. Photo: Lauren Rosenthal, Over 50 people gathered to release balloons in memory of Garrett Phillips in 2016. They knew that Garrett and his brother lived there and had heard noises before, but never this loud. The inside of the house where Garrett Phillips' body was found, is pictured on Sept. 27, 2016. 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. Prosecutors also referenced two interviews Shanna-Kay gave in 2014 and 2015 in both interviews, she said she ate dinner at 6pm. Tandy said she broke up with Nick because Garrett didnt like him. 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. Garbus says she would do a follow-up to her doc if need be, but she admits that after her experience getting to know the Potsdam police for the project, she doesnt think its likely. His white mom names black ex-boyfriend Nick Hillary as most likely to kill Garret. 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