If you're in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist . When the girls body was found at the cemetery, authorities pointed fingers back in McCanns direction. The Michigan State Police detective testified under oath that video footage from a surveillance camera on a nearby factory proved McCann wasnt there that night. Get the latest news delivered to your inbox. I truly am thankful for that.. He expects them to say, Were sorry, we messed up, Swygert says. Loving grandfather of Shana and Carrie . The system failed, and I saw it. Second, further investigation and a closer look at the video revealed that video camera could not have captured McCanns car because the cameras were not facing the direction of the path to the Tumble Dam. I put a bag over her head and killed her, Furlong said in court in November 2015, when he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. The Michigan State Police detective testified under oath that video footage from a surveillance camera on a nearby factory proved McCann was never there that night. One of the perjury counts stemmed from McCanns testimony that he had searched for Parrack at the Tumble Dam, a ruin where Constantine kids often hung out. Second, further investigation and a closer look at the video revealed that video camera could not have captured McCanns car because the cameras were not facing the direction of the path to the Tumble Dam. McCann, 47, pleaded no contest in February to one count of perjury for lies he told under oath in September 2012 during the Michigan State Police investigation of the 2007 slaying of 11-year-old. He lost his position as a reserve officer. Raymond was a graduate of Istrouma High School class of 1962 and Louisiana State University class of 1966. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Excellence in Education Award Nominations. In March 2016, lawyers and students from both projects launched a re-investigation in the case. I think now that my charges are reversed, Ill have a better chance.. He had been driving to the hospital for his grandsons birth when he was arrested, and was not freed until his 20-month sentence was up in December 2015 the month after Furlong pleaded guilty. The Registry also maintains a more limited database of known exonerations prior to 1989. After spending 11 months in jail awaiting trial and facing a potential life sentence, McCann pleaded no contest to the count involving the Tumble Dam, believing he had no chance of acquittal if there was a video that contradicted his recollection, especially in a community convinced he had murdered Jodi Parrack. He told authorities he saw Parrack riding her bike while he was cleaning his garage and asked her to help. Raymond McCann II with attorney Gregory Swygert Christmas came two weeks early for Raymond McCann II when St. Joseph County, Michigan Circuit Court Judge Paul E. Stutesman signed an order today granting McCann's motion to vacate his 2012 perjury conviction. On the day Parrack went missing, McCann who knew the victim and her family well told at least four people that they should search the local cemetery, a suggestion also made by others. The big break in the case came as a result of brilliant work on the part of the Michigan Law students, Swygert said. That scared Ray to death, Swygert says. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The office of St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough, which won and then abandoned the perjury conviction, declined PEOPLEs request for comment. McCanns exoneration marks the end of a nightmare that began on November 8, 2007, when 11-year-old Jodi Parrack was reported missing in the small town of Constantine, Michigan. Chicago, IL 60611-3069 Copyright 2019 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. On February 11, 2015, after being in jail for nearly a year, McCann entered a no-contest plea to the perjury charge that was based on the surveillance video. Id definitely like to get back into coaching, he says. McCanns case marks the Center on Wrongful Convictions third partnership with the Michigan Innocence Clinic, all of which have resulted in exonerations. Constantine police officers and detectives from a Michigan State Police task force questioned McCann nearly two dozen times over nearly five years after Parracks body was discovered. A Call for Answers: Police still looking for witnesses in shooting of Brandon and Shae, Trafficking Tragedy: How pandemic travel restrictions may have exacerbated fentanyl crisis. Says McCann: The system already failed me. The motion was filed by the Center on Wrongful Convictionsat Northwestern Law and the Michigan Innocence Clinicat the University of Michigan Law School and was joined by St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough who stipulated that the motion should be granted and the charges dropped. McCanns exoneration marks the end of a nightmare that began on Nov. 8, 2007, when 11-year-old Jodi Parrack was reported missing in the small town of Constantine, Michigan. He said he then grabbed her and put her in the back of a boat in his garage, where he sexually assaulted her after he zip-tied her hands behind her back. The detective then persuaded the county prosecutor to issue a subpoena to require McCann to testify under oath concerning his whereabouts at the time of Parracks disappearance. 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The detective then persuaded the county prosecutor to issue a subpoena to require McCann to testify under oath concerning his whereabouts at the time of Parracks disappearance. In 2012, with the investigation going cold, the Michigan State Police detective told one of McCanns relatives that he wanted to see McCann locked up to increase the pressure on him toconfess. What they did to me was wrong, completely. Brother of Jacqueline Constantine A man who was repeatedly hounded by police during an investigation of a girls killing in southwestern Michigan has filed a lawsuit, two years after his wrongful conviction for perjury was thrown out. Yet even after Furlongs confession, authorities still bore down on McCann in jail. The girl got away and led authorities back to Daniel Furlong. Hes also thankful that the prosecutor and judge agreed to consider the motion for his exoneration that was prepared by the two legal defense clinics, and then agreed to void his conviction. The threat of a life sentence for what could simply be differing recollections is too strong a tool for prosecutors and could lead to further wrongful convictions. All Rights Reserved. McCann, a reserve police officer, agreed to help participate in the search. After New York state repealed a law that kept NYPD disciplinary records secret, ProPublica obtained data from the civilian board that investigates complaints about police behavior. In March of 2016, Moran agreed and lawyers and students from both projects launched a re-investigation in the case. Please enable scripts and reload this page. I didnt want to, but I had to, he says. While McCann was in prison, a man named Daniel Furlong attempted to abduct another young girl in nearby White Pigeon, Michigan. These discoveries made it clear that the Michigan State Police detective, who had accused McCann of lying, had testified falsely about the video to Prosecutor McDonough. Case marks third with Michigan Innocence Clinic, all result in exonerations, From left to right: Amanda Kenner, James Mestichelli, David Moran, Raymond McCann, Greg Swygert, Rebecca Wyss. Report an error or add more information about this case. (Credit: Center on Wrongful Convictions, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law). After McCann was paroled from prison, Ken Kolker, a television reporter from WOODTV in Grand Rapids, contacted Steven Drizin, an attorney at Northwesterns Center on Wrongful Convictions, and asked him to evaluate the interrogations of McCann. Estate Settlement Guide. The detective also lied about McCann to his family and friends in an apparent attempt to turn them against him and get McCann to confess. McCanns exoneration marks the end of a nightmare that began on November 8, 2007, when 11-year-old Jodi Parrack was reported missing in the small town of Constantine, Michigan. On November 21, 2015, Fender and her children were evicted. Lonnie Palmer and MSP Lt. Shane Criger as defendants. In 2012, with the investigation going cold, the Michigan State Police detective told one of McCanns relatives that he wanted to see McCann locked up to increase the pressure on him toconfess. 2023 www.detroitnews.com. The detective then persuaded the county prosecutor to issue a subpoena to require McCann to testify under oath concerning his whereabouts at the time of Parracks disappearance. On December 7, 2017, St. Joseph County, Michigan Circuit Court Judge Paul E. Stutesman signed an order today granting Raymond McCann IIs motion to vacate his 2015 perjury conviction. The Michigan State Police detective testified under oath that video footage from a surveillance camera on a nearby factory proved McCann was never there that night. Under interrogation, Furlong insisted he did not know McCann and told the authorities that when he learned that McCann had been arrested, he believed he was in the clear.. Its going to take a while to recover. He and his new girlfriend just want to get this behind me and live our lives. Hundreds of people who were trapped, beaten, and wrongfully arrested by New York City police officers during a nonviolent 2020 racial justice protest in the Bronx will each receive $21,500 if a judge approves the terms of a settlement filed in federal court late Tuesday. If she wasnt found there, wed just continue to look, he tells PEOPLE now. I wasnt going to take the chance of going to trial and being charged with life. Offered a deal that would lock him up for 20 months with credit for time already served, he accepted and pleaded no contest in March 2015. Search Thousands of Civilian Complaints Against New York City Police Officers, Search for Officer by Name or Badge Number. cwc@law.northwestern.edu. All of the charges stemmed from minor discrepancies between McCanns recall of the events surrounding Parracks disappearance five years earlier and the recollections of others. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. A man who was exonerated after spending nearly two years in prison for a murder he didnt commit is suing the officers who made the case against him. For more compelling true crime coverage, follow our Crime magazine on Flipboard. Ray McCann knew he had no connection to the 2007 strangulation murder of 11-year-old Jodi Parrack in the small village of Constantin, Michigan, where he was a reserve police officer. The website is updated daily, frequently with exonerations that occurred in the past. Steven DrizinAttorney at Northwesterns Center on Wrongful Convictions, This was one of the worst cases of police tunnel vision Ive ever seen.. October 8, 2008, age 64. I lost a lot, says McCann, a father of two and grandfather of two who works at an aluminum factory. He hopes to work to change the law that led to his wrongful conviction. Devoted father of Stephen McCann of Newton, Sharon Biddy and her husband Robert, Ronald McCann, Donna J. Taylor and her husband Greg all of Waltham. McCann eventually pleaded no contest to a perjury charge to avoid the potential of a life sentence he was facing if found guilty. He told investigators he did not know McCann. When I got out of prison, I went through a lot of depression wondering why this happened, he says. In the meantime, he lost his job, his wife divorced him, and his son cut ties with him. But it was former Constantine reserve police officer, Raymond McCann, who repeatedly suggested . All of the charges stemmed from minor discrepancies between McCanns recall of the events surrounding Parracks disappearance five years earlier and the recollections of others. He was 78. Who ever thought something like this could happen? Even my sister turned against me at the time, he says. Second, further investigation and a closer look at the video revealed that video camera could not have captured McCanns car because the cameras were not facing the direction of the path to the Tumble Dam. The murder of Jodi Parrack has been a subject of ongoing investigation and debate in Michigan since the 11-year-old was murdered in November of 2007. It shows that even somebody whos trusted to protect and serve can be a suspect and it can lead to a wrongful conviction, says one of his attorneys, Greg Swygert, a Northwestern law professor who works with the Center on Wrongful Convictions. New York City and the New York Police Department have agreed to collectively pay millions to protesters who were arrested, detained or subjected to violence during a George Floyd demonstration in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx in June 2020, according to a court filing. 375 East Chicago Avenue This was one of the worst cases of police tunnel vision Ive ever seen, Drizin said. It was a long process. Despite intense pressure, McCann insisted he was innocent. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison. The Registry provides detailed information about every known exoneration in the United States since 1989cases in which a person was wrongly convicted of a crime and later cleared of all the charges based on new evidence of innocence. He suggested they search the cemetery, and that's. McCann was a reserve police officer that was charged with five counts of perjury, arising out of a 2007 murder case. The other exonerated clients include Jamie Peterson (Kalkaska County) and Davontae Sanford (Wayne County). Thiscase was the CWC's third partnership with the Michigan Innocence Clinic, all of which resulted in exonerations. The Michigan students made two important discoveries which proved that there was no video evidence to prove that McCann had lied under oath about driving to the Tumble Dam. A closer look at the video footage also revealed that it could not have captured McCanns car because the cameras were not facing the direction of the path to the Tumble Dam. In 2014, the prosecutor charged McCann with perjury during a murder investigation, which carries a life sentence. I was in law enforcement, and if it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody, he says. After McCann was paroled from prison, Ken Kolker, a television reporter from WOODTV in Grand Rapids, contacted Steven Drizin, an attorney at Northwesterns Center on Wrongful Convictions, and asked him to evaluate the interrogations of McCann. In prison, a father of two and grandfather of two and of... Take the chance of going to take the chance of going to trial and charged... November 21, 2015, Fender and her children Were evicted was facing if found guilty Convictions third with. Investigation, which carries a life sentence he was cleaning his garage and asked her to.... 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