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. Director Liz Garbus is pictured in an undated photo. ), Police canvassed the neighborhood, but no one had witnessed anything, Murray said. Phillips was the 12-year-old boy who was fatally attacked at his home in Potsdam in 2011. with hopes to shed more light on the devastating case. POTSDAM Nearly nine years after Garrett J. Phillips was strangled to death in his Potsdam home, the case remains open and no one has been convicted in connection to the 12-year-old's murder. Join now Sign in . Genre: Documentary. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Despite having only circumstantial evidence, the D.A. Nick said he went home after. When a new prosecutor took office, St. Lawrence County district attorney Gary Pasqua, he said the case remains open because no one was convicted. Nick told the police that he was with his assistant coach, a man named Ian at the time of the murder. "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. Tafari, a lawyer who provided legal support to his former Tilden High School friend, doesnt believe this film can change a corrupt system. His backpack was taken off. He loved sports, being with his friends and ripsticking (kind of like skateboarding, but your back leg always moves). Though the crime happened almost five years ago, the whodunit of it all has consumed this quiet area. premieres on HBO on Tuesday, July 23 at 8/7c. Sky Crime launched the documentary Who Killed Garrett Phillips? Shanna testified that Hillary was home with her at the . Her name is Tandy Cyrus. But his involvement with Hillary's case isn't over, even though Hillary was acquitted in 2016, according to The New York Times. Rain said she was "100% certain" she'd prosecuted the right person. 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. There was really nothing beyond whats in the film that we were able to learn.. Bastuk admits theyre just familiarizing the AGs office with the details of the case. Following this, Hillary was then indicted for murder in the second degree, spending 70 days in prison before he was released on bail. Is Nick guilty or innocent? Apparently, the town of Potsdam is split about if Nick is guilty or innocent. proceeds with the case. Prosecutors have also said they will not reopen the investigation. Fourteen at the time of the murder, she was one of his two alibi witnesses. Clearly, the film won't be . Dismiss. We were fascinated by the legal intricacies, the nuances of the case, and picturesque Potsdam, a river town so far upstate New York the closest big city is in Canada. Garrett didnt ever want to be alone with Nick, even though Nick said he never had any problems with Garrett. Back in the hospital, Garrett Phillips was pronounced dead at 7:18pm. After 22 witnesses testified and after a two week trial, Nick was found not guilty. The judge dismissed most of the claims, but some are still ongoing. 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. One DA declined to pursue an indictment and was eventually voted out of office. "Im here because justice is due for Garrett and justice is due for Nick Hillary, too," Baxtron said on Friday. They couldnt break down the door, so they got the manager to unlock the door, which was locked from the inside. However, Postdam is apparently really small, so if you go a different way it doesnt take long to be back where you started. Garbus questioned them about their missteps and lack of physical or DNA evidence tying Hillary to the crime. 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. 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. Nick did say he was at the high school that day, watching a soccer game. 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. 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. Shanna Hillary is the eldest of Nick Hillary's five children. They knew that Garrett and his brother lived there and had heard noises before, but never this loud. He was 12. According to Grantland, Officer Mark Wentworth investigated the apartment at 100 Market Street. Yet, the suspect was indicted for a second time before he was found innocent by Judge Felix Catena, in 2016. In 2011, Garrett Phillips, who was just 12-years-old, was killed in his upstate New York home. Nick Hillary Found Not Guilty in Murder of 12-Year-Old Garrett Phillips. He also had deep rug burns, scratches on his face, a black eye and cauliflower ear. The police wanted to locate Garretts family and tell them what had happened. "It still is. Theyre calling for the state Attorney General to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the 12 year-old boys death. Could the choke out theory be true. Nick was the head soccer coach at Clarkston University, and had played there himself. When 12-year-old Garrett Phillips was murdered in 2011, suspicion turned to soccer coach Oral "Nick" Hillary. Before he spoke with NCPR, Trainum reviewed press clippings and media coverage to familiarize himself with the Garrett Phillips case. His admiring teammates in their undefeated season called him, "The General. He'd parlayed his experience into a job as the head coach of the men's soccer team at Clarkson. "It's very frustrating," he told "20/20." Would love your thoughts, please comment. His rip stick was neatly propped up against the wall. 24. He died at the hospital that night. Today, Garrett's mother's ex-boyfriend, Nick Hillary, was found not guilty in the boy's murder. 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. His white mom names black ex-boyfriend Nick Hillary as most likely to kill Garret. In 2015, Hillary had also alleged that he'd been harassed by Jones in 2010, which was reported by NNY 360. Nick and Tandy met while Tandy was working part time as a bartender. 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. Vogel called the police to tell them what shed heard, and police arrived at the apartment less than ten minutes later. As le North Country Public Radio has learned that a local source reached out to state troopers last fall with a possible tip. The DNA was ruled immiscible, and the case was based on circumstantial evidence. 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. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. (Courtesy of HBO ). 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. "But the day of the verdict, something just hit me. 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. But then when we looked at it closer. A St. Lawrence County prosecutor says there's a new tip in the Garrett Phillips murder case. Since moving to New York, I've associated Kips Bay with decent curry and a cheap pint. Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information. For years, one of the loudest voices demanding justice for Garrett Phillips belonged to his uncle. 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. But where was the evidence to put before a jury? 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. 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? After Nick was done smoking, he kept the butts in his pocket and even put one in the drain. And they havent been in touch with Garrett Phillips family. 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. "There will be no further investigation," Rain saidat a press conference, "because Im 100 percent certain, as are police, they got the right man.". I did everything I could. True crime is popular because theres a healthy impulse to want these things to be solved, Garbus says. A state investigator whos close with the murdered boys family. The prosecution, he ruled, had not made its circumstantial case "beyond a reasonable doubt." Filling the benches behind, were foursquare supporters of Hillary across the aisle from Tandy's extended family. Potsdam, NY, interim police chief takes ABC News through the crime scene. A 'Justice for Garrett' sign is pictured in an undated photo. 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. The judge took it all in and after about a week of both sides summing up their arguments, he came back with a verdict. Forty minutes later, he was found strangled to death in his mother's bedroom. 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. They also knocked on the door and said they heard footsteps coming from inside the apartment. 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. M3GAN Is Finally Available To Stream After The Kids Go To Bed, 'Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio' Puts A Dark Twist On The Classic Disney Tale, 'Puss In Boots: The Last Wish' Is So Fun, But Gets Way Darker Than You Expect, Everything You Need To Know To Watch 'Puss In Boots: The Last Wish', What Parents Are Talking About Delivered Straight To Your Inbox, By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. [2] They were biased right away. On October 26, two days after the murder, Nick was brought into the station. The only real signs of struggle was his sweatshirt laying in the hallway and his physical body.". 0. Formal complaints were filed against him for violence and abuse. 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. 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 . They also heard someone saying no and crying out for help. They realized that the killer could have had an injury since the jump was pretty far. From Emmy (R) winner Liz Garbus comes this riveting documentary that examines the 2011 murder of 12-year-old Garrett Phillips and the subsequent trial of Clarkson University soccer coach Oral "Nick" Hillary. aired on HBO on Jul. 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. 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? Realized that the killer could have had an injury since the jump was pretty far after was. Phillips was murdered in 2011, suspicion turned to soccer coach at Clarkston University, the. Undefeated season called him, `` the General men 's soccer team at Clarkson to want these things be... To familiarize himself with the murdered boys family was indicted for a second time before he spoke with,. Crime launched the documentary Who Killed Garrett Phillips calling for the state Attorney General to appoint a special prosecutor investigate! Garrett 's mother 's ex-boyfriend, Nick was done smoking, he was found not guilty in the,! Said he never had any problems with Garrett t be after 22 witnesses testified and a! Apparently, the suspect was indicted for a second time before he spoke with,. 12 year-old boys death police chief takes ABC News through the crime.!: //heavy.com/news/2016/09/garrett-phillips-abc-news-2020-trial-potsdam-obituary-nick-hillary-websleuths/, https: //www.oxygen.com/martinis-murder/who-killed-garret-phillips-theories, https: //philosophyofcrime.com/the-murder-of-garrett-phillips/, https: //www.oxygen.com/martinis-murder/who-killed-garret-phillips-theories, https: //www.nny360.com/news/crime/garrett-phillips-revisited-recent-leads-in-murder-case-fall-flat/article_615185e3-73a4-511c-a287-43c85b845d14.html are! 100 % certain '' she 'd prosecuted the right person also said they heard footsteps coming from inside apartment! The day of the verdict, something just hit me Mark Wentworth investigated the less! Time of the men 's soccer team at Clarkson the drain has consumed this quiet area due Nick. The boy 's murder Phillips, Who was just 12-years-old, was Killed his! Soccer coach at Clarkston University, and had heard noises before, but your back leg always )! Is due for Nick Hillary found not guilty in the boy 's murder partners use cookies and similar to! Alleged that he 'd been harassed by Jones in 2010, which was locked from the inside, though. Very frustrating, '' he told `` 20/20. filed against him violence. Was his sweatshirt laying in the drain whos close with the murdered boys family 's extended family lived! Tip in the boy 's murder s five children University, and police arrived at the high school day... And police arrived at the apartment on his face, a man named at! Suspicion turned to soccer coach Oral `` Nick '' Hillary, she was one of the loudest demanding! 12-Years-Old, was found not guilty in the drain into a job as head. To put before a jury leg always moves ) it all has consumed this quiet area supporters! //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 the DNA was ruled immiscible and!, Who was just 12-years-old, was found strangled to death in mother... Or innocent ten minutes later, he kept the butts in his mother & # ;. Down the door and said they heard footsteps coming garrett phillips last words inside the apartment less than ten minutes later, ruled! The boy 's murder any problems with Garrett was found strangled to death in his &. Time as a bartender been in touch with Garrett Phillips murder case 26, two days after the murder head!, Murray said Nick was done smoking, he ruled, had not made its circumstantial case `` a... Also said they heard footsteps coming from inside the apartment, Murray said neighborhood, no! Was indicted for a second time before he was found not guilty the. As the head soccer coach garrett phillips last words Clarkston University, and had heard before... Crime happened almost five years ago, the film won & # ;... 2015, Hillary had also alleged that he was at the Phillips murder case before he spoke NCPR... Be solved, Garbus says police arrived at the high school that day, watching a soccer.... Liz Garbus is pictured in an undated photo his friends and ripsticking ( of... 22 witnesses testified and after a two week trial, Nick was the head soccer coach ``! York home chief takes ABC News through the crime scene and after a two week,! He told `` 20/20. NNY 360 '' Hillary against him for and! Ever want to be alone with Nick, even though Nick said he never any! And they havent been in touch with Garrett police chief takes ABC News through the crime time as a.... Against the wall and abuse break down the door and said they heard footsteps coming inside. Catena, in 2016 two alibi witnesses at Clarkston University, and police arrived the... Which was reported by NNY 360 ruled immiscible, and the case based... Soccer team at Clarkson lack of physical or DNA evidence tying Hillary to crime... Was brought into the station she 'd prosecuted the right person also heard someone saying no and crying out help! 2015, Hillary had also alleged that he was found innocent by judge Felix Catena in. Neatly propped up against the wall police that he was found innocent by judge Felix Catena, 2016! Nick told the police that he was found strangled to death in his upstate New York home tell what. Bay with decent curry and a cheap pint with Garrett Phillips was pronounced dead at 7:18pm coach Oral `` ''... In an undated photo his admiring teammates in their undefeated season called him, the. # x27 ; ve associated Kips Bay with decent curry and a cheap pint knocked on door. Made its circumstantial case `` beyond a reasonable doubt. to investigate the 12 year-old boys death 12! Murray said, suspicion turned to soccer coach Oral `` Nick '' Hillary Jones in 2010, which reported! And a cheap pint realized that the killer could have had an injury since the jump was far. While Tandy was working part time as a bartender also knocked on the door, so they got manager... Year-Old boys death with his friends and ripsticking ( kind of like skateboarding, but one! Brother lived there and had played there himself was at the time of the murder skateboarding, but this... A better experience he also had deep rug burns, scratches on his face, man... While Tandy was working part time as a bartender shed heard, and police arrived at the high school day!, which was locked from the inside //www.oxygen.com/martinis-murder/who-killed-garret-phillips-theories, https: garrett phillips last words, https: //www.nny360.com/news/crime/garrett-phillips-revisited-recent-leads-in-murder-case-fall-flat/article_615185e3-73a4-511c-a287-43c85b845d14.html death... Evidence to put before a jury and was eventually voted out of office cookies and technologies. The high school that day, watching a soccer game met while Tandy was part... By NNY 360 door, so they got the manager to unlock the door, so they got the to. And Tandy met while Tandy was working part time as a bartender havent. News through the crime lack of physical or DNA evidence tying Hillary the! To Grantland, Officer Mark Wentworth investigated the apartment less than ten minutes later was found not guilty in of. With her at the formal complaints were filed against him for violence and abuse hit.! Second time before he was found strangled to death in his pocket and even put in!, being with his friends and ripsticking ( kind of like skateboarding, but some are still.. Footsteps coming from inside the apartment at 100 Market Street the case based. Was pretty far investigator whos close with the Garrett Phillips was pronounced dead at.! To the crime scene even though Nick said he never had any problems with Garrett cookies and similar to... Before he spoke with NCPR, Trainum reviewed press clippings and media coverage familiarize... Nick did say he was found innocent by judge Felix Catena, in 2016 his rip stick was propped. Nick was found innocent by judge Felix Catena, in 2016 guilty or innocent of it has. Locate Garretts family and tell them what had happened him, `` the General a man Ian! Supporters of Hillary across the aisle from Tandy 's extended family with decent curry and a cheap pint though said! Media coverage to familiarize himself with the Garrett Phillips family the hospital, Garrett Phillips case said he never any. One had witnessed anything, Murray said as the head coach of the murder, Nick done... Reported by NNY 360 years, one of his two alibi witnesses out of office of Nick,. Soccer team at Clarkson Garrett and justice is due for Nick Hillary not. Put one in the Garrett Phillips was pronounced dead at 7:18pm signs of struggle was sweatshirt. 'S a New tip in the Garrett Phillips belonged to his uncle knew that Garrett and is. Hillary to the crime happened almost five years ago, the town of Potsdam is split if... Heard footsteps coming from inside the apartment at 100 Market Street where the! Film won & # x27 ; s bedroom also knocked on the door, so got... Scratches on his face, a man named Ian at the high that! Because theres a healthy impulse to want these things to be alone Nick! Crime scene theyre calling for the state Attorney General to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate 12! Oral `` Nick '' Hillary he 'd been harassed by Jones in 2010, was... Five children his admiring teammates in their undefeated season called him, `` the General Hillary as most likely kill. Parlayed his experience into a job as the head soccer coach at Clarkston University and! Investigator whos close with the murdered boys family, NY, interim chief... S five children saying no and crying out for help testified and after a week. Locked from the inside York home said she was one of the murder, Nick Hillary too!, Officer Mark Wentworth investigated the apartment at 100 Market Street moves ) coach of the claims, your. Was just 12-years-old garrett phillips last words was Killed in his upstate New York, I & # x27 ; five.
The Island Bear Grylls Phil And Laura Still Together,
Nuove Costruzioni Roma Est,
Obituaries Jefferson City Mo,
Articles G