Related: Nick Hillary Found Not Guilty in Murder of 12-Year-Old Garrett Phillips. premieres on HBO on Tuesday, July 23 at 8/7c. July 18, 2019 2:39 pm ET. She was raising two boys, he had three kids from a past relationship. 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. Trainum has an extensive background workingon cases himself. Back at the crime scene, the police realized there was no forced entry, but there was an open window, with the screen cut out. When Hillary was acquitted this week, the judge said that his case was mostly circumstantial and didnt prove he was guilty without a doubt. People want to be heroes. 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. 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). When a new prosecutor took office, St. Lawrence County district attorney Gary Pasqua, he said the case remains open because no one was convicted. 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. Oral "Nick" Hillary and Tandy Cyrus are pictured in an undated photo. The police also made Nick strip down in the nude, so they could take photographs. When police arrived and got into the apartment, they found Garrett unresponsive on the floor in a bedroom. 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. A St. Lawrence County prosecutor says there's a new tip in the Garrett Phillips murder 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. 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. The documentary examines and chronicles the years following the 2011 murder of 12-year-old Garrett Phillips and the subsequent trial of Clarkson University soccer coach Oral "Nick" Hillary. 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). Again, I saw an abrasion, but it ankle didnt look swollen to me. Nick told the police that he was with his assistant coach, a man named Ian at the time of the murder. Police collected fingerprints from the window; they are not Hillary's and have never been identified, Murray said. As least, thats what many may hope after the new St. Lawrence County district attorney admitted a new tip earlier this spring. IE 11 is not supported. Jones essentially told the players . Heres what you need to know about the case. If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page - we'd love to hear from you. Pasqua and local police have declined to comment. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Then, at the hospital, she found out he was in cardiac arrest. The victim, Garrett Phillips, was only 12 years old. Garrett was taken to the local hospital where he was declared dead later that night. Its season 6 episode 2 titled Home Alone.. 23, with Part 2 following the next night on Jul. 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. "The head person, the most dominant person everybody is gonna follow their lead," said James Trainum, a nationally-recognized police consultant. Nick and Tandy met while Tandy was working part time as a bartender. The DA says an investigation is ongoing, but its hard to know if police are taking the new information seriously. According to North Country Now, that includes civil actions filed against DA Rain and Jones. "It was a true tragedy," he said. "In my mind, that investigation is still out there.". From the polices point of view, they thought they had the best suspect the most they could put together on someone, says Garbus. Garbus credits the dogged local reporters who wouldnt let up on the case for bringing it to the larger attention, including her own. He found Nick Hillary not guilty. Nick was deposed for the suit. There were people outside changing a tire, but they only reported hearing the window screen being pushed out, Murray said. Garrett and Aaron's school schedules were on the fridge and family portraits were on the wall. He died at the hospital that night. Easily explained." 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. "It's very frustrating," he told "20/20." 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 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. Despite housing crisis, there's pushback against development, Rochester man dies in snowmobile crash on the Tug Hill, Hochul wants to tie the minimum wage to inflation. But I hope Im wrong about that, Garbus tells Variety. When the police arrived on the scene, Phillips was still breathing. The group wrote a letter to DA Pasqua seeking an independent prosecutor two weeks ago. There are no clues as to who killed Garrett. He said he had gotten it a week ago from moving furniture. Why would I even want to hurt a child, after having worked with kids for over two decades? But his involvement with Hillary's case isn't over, even though Hillary was acquitted in 2016, according to The New York Times. HBO. Just like his father, spitting image of my brother, a heck of a little athlete. At least one of them had talked to police back in 2011, and their story did not add up. He had minutes left to live. It was a long wait leading up to the trial in 2016. They were biased right away. 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). Nick Hillary's defense had elected to waive a jury trial and argue directly to the judge. He would be both judge and jury in what's called a bench trial. — -- 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. 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. Garrett Phillips' mother, Tandy Cyrus. Prosecutors also referenced two interviews Shanna-Kay gave in 2014 and 2015 in both interviews, she said she ate dinner at 6pm. What 12-year-old kid just isnt right full of life? Nick was interviewed for 9 hours that day. "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. After 22 witnesses testified and after a two week trial, Nick was found not guilty. Nick soon asked for a lawyer, food and cigarettes. They struck up an easy conversation that, in short order, became a live-in relationship with a blended family. The big question now is how law enforcements following up. New York, 2011: Garrett Phillips, 12, is found strangled. 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. 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. Shanna Hillary is the eldest of Nick Hillary's five children. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. The police found Garrett laying motionless. The murder trial began in the county seat, Canton, New York this month. 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. There was really nothing beyond whats in the film that we were able to learn.. HBO's new two-part documentary "Who Killed Garrett Phillips?," premiering on July 23 and 24, is a stunningand enragingexamination of race and the U.S. criminal justice system. Nick is targeted. The camera recorded Garrett ripsticking home on the day of the murder. They tried to revive him, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital around 7pm. This button displays the currently selected search type. Following this, Hillary was then indicted for murder in the second degree, spending 70 days in prison before he was released on bail. One DA declined to pursue an indictment and was eventually voted out of office. He looked like he was sleeping.. The DNA was ruled immiscible, and the case was based on circumstantial evidence. 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.. The prosecutor would thunder that the camera had in fact recorded Nick out "hunting" for the boy just minutes before his death. Nick Hillary is the ex-boyfriend of Tandy Cyrus. Dismiss. It doesnt say what his relationship was like. 24. (Courtesy of HBO ). No prints or hairs from the scene matched the police's suspect, Hillary. Inside the home that day, "Everything was very clean," Murray said. Tonight, ABC News and Dateline will both investigate the 2011 murder of Garrett Phillips. 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." The window is how it is believed that the killer escaped. Fast forward to October 24, 2011. Nick had to leave the station that day in a hazmat suit. He loved sports, being with his friends and ripsticking (kind of like skateboarding, but your back leg always moves). But Murray said, "even if we had collected hairs and fibers [matching Hillary], he had been in the apartment -- he moved [Garrett's mother] Tandy in, he was in the apartment in the middle of the night on a number of occasions. But Hillary was black and Jones was white, and Hillary was focused on as a suspect with much more intensity. His arms were at his side and his legs close together. A 'Justice for Garrett' sign is pictured in an undated photo. "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. Privacy Policy. 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. On Wednesday morning, Hillary was found not guilty by a judge, after a two-week long trial. He was read his rights. Phillips was the 12-year-old boy who was fatally attacked at his home in Potsdam in 2011. He spent more than two decades asa homicide detectivein Washington, D.C., where he eventually opened a cold case unit. The police also noticed Nicks ankle was swollen and he had an abrasion on his ankle. 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. ", 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. New information has come to light and is being investigated in the 2011 murder of 12-year-old Garrett J. Phillips. Yet, the suspect was indicted for a second time before he was found innocent by Judge Felix Catena, in 2016. In 2011, 12-year-old Garrett Phillips was killed in his upstate New York home. Pictured is the 100 Market St. apartment building in Potsdam, New York. But no one would see his killer leap out of the back window. Garrett was described as always being a happy kid, who always had a smile on his face. A police chief whose brother names his successor as mayor. In the gallery, Tandy slumped and cried. "In [the Garrett Phillips] case, the head person is a chief of police who ran the investigation originally, is convinced that they got the right person, and is not going to want to devote a lot of time and resources of his personnel into something that hethinks is useless," Trainum said. Release Date (Streaming): But where was the evidence to put before a jury? Tafari, a lawyer who provided legal support to his former Tilden High School friend, doesnt believe this film can change a corrupt system. Today, Garrett's mother's ex-boyfriend, Nick Hillary, was found not guilty in the boy's murder. 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. Cookie Notice Photo: Brit Hanson, Brian Phillips pushed hard to get a resolution to his nephew's case. The mystery of what happened to Garrett Phillips continues. 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). The coachs daughter Shanna-Kay Hillary testified for her father and said he was in their house at the time of Garretts murder. Lauren Rosenthal (Investigative Reporter and Producer), A phone call from inside the investigation, Gumball machine serves up free poetry in the Adirondacks, Not in Old Forge's backyard? On Oct. 24, 2011, a dispatcher in Potsdam, N.Y., got a 911 call from a person reporting suspicious sounds in a neighboring apartment. Formal complaints were filed against him for violence and abuse. -- 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. It's about the unsolved October 2011 murder of a 12-year-old boy, Garrett Phillips, who was strangled by an intruder while he was home alone in the Potsdam, N.Y., apartment he shared with his . He loved sports, being with his friends and ripsticking (kind of like skateboarding, but your back leg always moves). They immediately called an ambulance. 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