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." with hopes to shed more light on the devastating case. The accused was Nick Hillary, 37 years old at the time of the boy's death. If Carranza, the dude changing a tire at 100 Market, saw a black man in the window, could it have been Amos? The Murder of Garrett Phillips: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. I have so many questions about the ex-boyfriend, John Jones. 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. 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. And that's an important part of the lawsuit Hillary has since filed against many individuals involved in his case. But hes also said recent new leads have gone nowhere. Pasqua and local police have declined to comment. Why would I even want to hurt a child, after having worked with kids for over two decades? 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. Though the crime happened almost five years ago, the whodunit of it all has consumed this quiet area. 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. Nick also denied this ever happened. A 'Justice for Garrett' sign is pictured in an undated photo. But I hope Im wrong about that, Garbus tells Variety. He talked a lot about accountability, but with guys rarely getting benched, demoted or cut, it was just talk. Let me know what you think in the comments. In 2015, Hillary had also alleged that he'd been harassed by Jones in 2010, which was reported by NNY 360. When the police arrived on the scene, Phillips was still breathing. But then when we looked at it closer. Phillips was the 12-year-old boy who was fatally attacked at his home in Potsdam in 2011. And the fact that his life has apparently remained much the same, while Hillary's was thrown into disarray, proves that. From the polices point of view, they thought they had the best suspect the most they could put together on someone, says Garbus. 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. And then there was the potential witness about whom prosecutors never told the defense a revelation that nearly led to the trials dismissal. Fourteen at the time of the murder, she was one of his two alibi witnesses. Around 5:16pm, the police arrived. Director Liz Garbus is pictured in an undated photo. If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page - we'd love to hear from you. He was just all about control.". But Hillary and a vocal group of supporters say that he has been wrongfully accused. Nick is targeted. ABCwrites, Almost immediately, police focused on her ex-boyfriend Hillary as the prime suspect, but it would take them several years before they arrested him for the murder., Cyrus and Hillary broke up a few monthsbefore Garrett was killed, and Cyrus believes that Hillary blamed Garrett for the breakup. ABC News writes, While Cyrus said she never saw Hillary hit a child, lose his temper with a child or threaten a child during their nearly one year together, she told 20/20 that she has no doubt that Hillary killed her son., Nick Hillary's Daughter: Race 'Definitely' a Factor in Murder Case https://t.co/mu2gutc1Qo pic.twitter.com/GcybAmJpxJ, Marko Zelic (@SnoperMZ) September 30, 2016. Murray said the window screen was forced out, with just enough space to fit a body through. Its so heartbreaking, and I feel bad for his family. After about a year together, Tandy moved out with her sons. Bastuk says now is the time to draw national attention to a murder case thats been unsolved for too long. He was the last person seen with him and he was know to be violent and committed a confirmed violent act. In 2006, Hillary was acquitted of murder after a trial before a judge without a jury, The jury pool came from the same individuals who had elected the district attorney, Hillary, 45, told The News. His mother was rushed to the hospital. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Ive probably seen every show on this case, but for my research I watched Deadline Crime with Tamron Hall. The chief of police is now Mark Murray, who was the lead detective on the case. But at around 5 p.m., when the murder is estimated to have occurred, no one saw anyone jump or flee from the building. Following this, Hillary was then indicted for murder in the second degree, spending 70 days in prison before he was released on bail. The coachs daughter Shanna-Kay Hillary testified for her father and said he was in their house at the time of Garretts murder. The signs became iconic in Potsdam. Dismiss. 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. Then, at the hospital, she found out he was in cardiac arrest. Inside the home that day, "Everything was very clean," Murray said. Police went up the apartment building stairs and into the home, where they found Garrett unconscious and alone inside. 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. In 2011, 12-year-old Garrett Phillips was killed in his upstate New York home. 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. He would be both judge and jury in what's called a bench trial. Also the Mom of Brandon's girlfriend also overheard Brandon talking about this unidentified male. "Everybody that knows me knows what goes through my head and who I believe," Phillips said. Hillary does not shy away from the scrutiny the film will bring, saying his ordeal will have had purpose if it saves others from similar mistreatment by law enforcement. Potsdam's chief of police is now Mark Murray, who was lead detective on the Garrett Phillips investigation. I personally dont think Nick killed Garrett, but theres just no proof of him doing it. One DA declined to pursue an indictment and was eventually voted out of office. 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. At 9pm, Dateline will air The Accused, which will focus on law enforcement and community response to the horrific crime, according to Syracuse.com. Oct. 24 marked the ninth anniversary of the murder of 12-year-old Garrett Phillips. When a new prosecutor took office, St. Lawrence County district attorney Gary Pasqua, he said the case remains open because no one was convicted. Release Date (Streaming): 1. Bastuk said local law enforcement is too compromised and an independent prosecutor needs to take over. The DNA was ruled immiscible, and the case was based on circumstantial evidence. After Garrett is seen turning towards his house, the car is seen following him. Nick Hillary's defense had elected to waive a jury trial and argue directly to the judge. True crime is popular because theres a healthy impulse to want these things to be solved, Garbus says. However, if youre innocent, why would it matter? Back in the hospital, Garrett Phillips was pronounced dead at 7:18pm. 0. In the gallery, Tandy slumped and cried. His career, its Nick interrupted: Its gone., Continuing her spiel, Liz said: His family have suffered great trauma and Nicks financial situation is not what it was before its not a happy ending.. 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. "Thats not gonna change.". As Tandy would tell us, Nick was rigid -- a man with a plan for every day. Hillary got back with Lee after the death of Phillips, the New York Times reported in 2011. But going forward, it looks like industry-shifting life sciences 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.. After Hillary was cleared, Rain claimed the case was closed because she still believed he was guilty, which is crazy, according to Garbus. They also knocked on the door and said they heard footsteps coming from inside the apartment. 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. [2] Knowing where John Jones is now shows how differently he was treated by police after Phillips' murder. proceeds with the case. Privacy Policy. Photo: Lauren Rosenthal, Over 50 people gathered to release balloons in memory of Garrett Phillips in 2016. 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. They said that he had a limp in his right leg, however, the video is grainy and I didnt see any limp. Shanna Hillary is the eldest of Nick Hillary's five children. Here was the thing about the investigation though: crime scene techs could come up with no forensic clues -- no fingerprints, no DNA, no tissue and no hair linking Nick to what was theorized to be a violent hands-on struggle in a small space. No prints or hairs from the scene matched the police's suspect, Hillary. The police also noticed Nicks ankle was swollen and he had an abrasion on his ankle. Director Liz Garbus investigates the 2011 murder of a 12-year-old boy. Part 2 premieres on HBO on . Thats why Who Killed Garrett Phillips? devotes so much time to following Hillary himself. "The district attorneys office, the police, and the sheriffs department refuse to get to the bottom of things and basically have swept this investigation under the rug.". Trainum is part of a growing movement that encourages police and prosecutors to check their work with these reviews. Original Language: English. Prosecutors have also said they will not reopen the investigation. What was his relationship like with Garrett? "It's very frustrating," he told "20/20." They are the only reason that Nick is not in prison, she says. 3. And Nick doesnt have any of that right now. When expanded it provides a list of search options that will switch the search inputs to match the current selection. "He was something else. 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.". Nick and Tandy met while Tandy was working part time as a bartender. There was really nothing beyond whats in the film that we were able to learn.. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. His arms were at his side and his legs close together. 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. Shanna-Kay, who is now 19-years-old, has testified that on the day of the murder, she was at Potsdam High School. His white mom names black ex-boyfriend Nick Hillary as most likely to kill Garret. They struck up an easy conversation that, in short order, became a live-in relationship with a blended family. There is only one door to the apartment. 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 in a county thats population is more than 90% white, the killing of a child -- a crime that screamed out for justice -- became an investigation that boiled with questions of racial fairness. He found Nick Hillary not guilty. New information has come to light and is being investigated in the 2011 murder of 12-year-old Garrett J. Phillips. Vogel called the police to tell them what shed heard, and police arrived at the apartment less than ten minutes later. "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. Nick said he was at the high school to watch a soccer game, went home and talked with his daughter, and then went to his assistant coachs house. By the time Liz Garbuss 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. Garrett and Aaron's school schedules were on the fridge and family portraits were on the wall. What do you think about this case? Nick Hillary 20/20 Interview After Found Not Guilty of Murder. Whether Phillips mother agrees remains to be seen. 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. North Country Public Radio has learned that a local source reached out to state troopers last fall with a possible tip. Meanwhile Garretts autopsy was done. Yard signs like this were planted across St. Lawrence County to keep the case in the public eye. Also pictured is his defense team, Norman Siegel, left, Edward Narrow, right center, and Earl Ward, right. It doesn't appear as though his daily life has been drastically altered following the case: without reports to the contrary, one can assume that he still resides in Potsdam, New York. Garrett lived at the apartment at 100 Market St. with his mother, Tandy Cyrus, and younger brother, Aaron. "I dont know that its fair to them to keep reliving it unless something new or different happens. Tafari, a lawyer who provided legal support to his former Tilden High School friend, doesnt believe this film can change a corrupt system. Sky Crime launched the documentary Who Killed Garrett Phillips? Oral "Nick" Hillary still coaches soccer. "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. #AD - Use this link for a 7-day free trial - http://bit.ly/23sh00652In today's video I discuss the case of Garrett Phillips as well as the documentary 'Who k. The person who brutally murdered Garrett Phillips is still allowed to walk free. He was a popular, athletic kid. The mystery of what happened to Garrett Phillips continues. In 2011, Garrett Phillips, who was just 12-years-old, was killed in his upstate New York home. Because we werent gonna get justice for him.". He denied any butt-head moment with Garrett, or spats over homework or chores. Hillary was considered a suspect because he was an ex-boyfriend of the boy's mother. But the verdict came down as not guilty, and Tandy never ended up going on the record with Garbus. 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. But at the same time, so many armchair sleuths, so many Reddit boards, so much discussion only increased the chances of it being solved.. Police suspect the killer escaped through this window. His backpack was taken off. Sky Crime launched the documentary Who Killed Garrett Phillips? 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