He lost his job, was estranged from his son and his wife divorced him.. The perjury statute that coerced Ray to plead guilty needs to be changed, Swygert said. McCann had said hed briefly stopped that night to search at a trailhead near a ruin where kids often hung out, and then he was called away. Parracks body was found there a short time later. The motion was filed by theCenter on Wrongful Convictionsat Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and theMichigan 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. All rights reserved. If she wasnt found there, wed just continue to look, he tells PEOPLE now. Visit Official Settlement Website Its scary. The Michigan students established that darkness made it impossible to tell whether McCanns car or any other specific cars were in the area near the Tumble Dam path. This case highlights the dangers of how strong tunnel can be. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. For the most accurate data, please search on the Detailed View page. Mr. McCanns case marks the Center on Wrongful Convictions third partnership with the Michigan Innocence Clinic, all of which have resulted in exonerations. Raymond was a graduate of Istrouma High School class of 1962 and Louisiana State University class of 1966. After McCann was paroled from prison, Ken Kolker, a television reporter from WOODTV in Grand Rapids, contacted CWC attorney Steven Drizin and asked him to evaluate the interrogations of McCann. 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. Parracks body was found there a short time later. McCann eventually pleaded no contest to a perjury charge to avoid the potential of a life sentence he was facing if found guilty. 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. Northwestern recognized for internationalization amid high demand for global education, Hes helping young musicians bridge the gap between art and business, Trethewey named to the Academy of American Poets, How the second-longest US government shutdown is affecting the economy, Learning to write like a president sounds. The judgment incorporated a marital settlement agreement (MSA) which, in part, awarded the family residence to wife, and required husband to pay $2,300 per month in support, one half was designated as child support and the other half as spousal support. Although the tactics failed to coerce Ray into making a false confession, they did succeed at ruining Rays reputation and destroying his relationships with family and friends, Swygert said. CHICAGO - Christmas came two weeks early for Raymond McCann II when St. Joseph County, Michigan Circuit Court Judge Paul E. Stutesman signed an order today, Dec. 7, granting McCanns motion to vacate his 2012 perjury conviction. Despite intense pressure, McCann insisted he was innocent. 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. Raymond Day, age 78, a resident of Baton Rouge, passed away on February 27, 2023. I didnt want to, but I had to, he says. . This was one of the worst cases of police tunnel vision Ive ever seen, Drizin said. While McCann was in prison, a man named Daniel Furlong attempted to abduct another young girl in nearby White Pigeon, Michigan. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison in 2015. 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. McCanns victory working with the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern Universitys Pritzker School of Law and the Michigan Innocence Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School clears a man whom authorities openly accused and jailed in the stated hope that he would crack and admit involvement. He lost his job, was estranged from his son, and his wife divorced him.. Evanston, IL 60201. 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. 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. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? McCann said under oath that he had parked at the trailhead and was prepared to search for Parrack there when he got a call and went elsewhere. The website is updated daily, frequently with exonerations that occurred in the past. Maybe if he sits in jail for a while, he will cooperate.. . us about an exoneration that we may have missed, Correct an error or add information about an exoneration on our list, Other Under interrogation, Furlong insisted he did not know McCann and told the authorities that when he learned that McCann had been arrested, he believed that he was in the clear.. These are the Civilian Complaint Review Boards findings regarding this NYPD officer. Copyright 2019 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. After spending 11 months in jail awaiting trial and facing a potential life sentence, McCann pled no contest to the count involving the Tumble Dam, believing that he had no chance of being acquitted if there was a video that contradicted his recollection, especially in a community that was convinced he had murdered Jodi Parrack. Investigators identified McCann as a suspect despite the fact his DNA did not match the DNA found on her body. McCann now says he felt no choice but to serve his time, while maintaining his innocence as authorities continued to assume he was involved even as another man eventually confessed to the crime. The Registry also maintains a more limited database of known exonerations prior to 1989. Beloved husband to Doris Fay. He became a person of interest after he was one of several people to suggest searching the local cemetery. 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. While elated that his legal nightmare is finally over, McCann is still trying to put the pieces of his life back together. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel approved the compensation reward for Raymond McCann under the states Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Act or WICA. 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. Suspicion and accusation had raised doubts, and the town and McCanns own family turned against him. 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. In March 2016, lawyers and students from both projects launched a re-investigation in the case. I lost my family, I lost my son Ive only seen him three times since I got out. He missed a grandchilds birth, and his sons high school graduation. 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. Loving step-father of Mark (Lori) Subelsky and Steven (Shelley) Subelsky. Ray McCann said his constitutional rights were violated by various police officers in St. Joseph County. Here the tunnel vision had such momentum that even after DNA and Furlongs confession completely exonerating Ray, it still took years and the force of two law school legal clinics to finally have his conviction vacated, Swygert said. Furlong, who lived in Constantine at the time of Parracks murder, eventually admitted killing Parrack eight years earlier, and a subsequent DNA test on Furlong matched DNA found on Parrack. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison. 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. 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. Get the latest stories from Northwestern Now sent directly to your inbox. 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. In 2014, the prosecutor then charged McCann with perjury during a murder investigation, which carries a life sentence. 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. 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. 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. Who ever thought something like this could happen? Steven DrizinAttorney at Northwesterns Center on Wrongful Convictions, This was one of the worst cases of police tunnel vision Ive ever seen.. 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. October 8, 2008, age 64. 2023 www.detroitnews.com. 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.. After spending 11 months in jail awaiting trial and facing a potential life sentence, McCann pled no contest to the count involving the Tumble Dam. The lawsuit alleges the defendants created a false probable cause document filled with information they knew was wrong in order to coerce a confession out of McCann. The whole town suspected him of doing it, and its hard to reconcile that.. But a detective claimed that surveillance video recorded from a nearby factory showed McCann was never there though the video evidence was later discredited. He expects them to say, Were sorry, we messed up, Swygert says. McCann, a reserve police officer, agreed to help participate in the search. 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. If you're in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist . The detective also told lies about McCann to his family members and friends, even telling McCanns teenage son that McCann was a drug addict, in an apparent attempt to turn his family and friends against him and get McCann to confess. 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. It was a long process. Whether hes the one who did it or was there when it happened, we dont know, then Constantine Police Chief Jim Bedell told PEOPLE in 2014, after McCanns arrest. He hopes to work to change the law that led to his wrongful conviction. Today, he acted honorably in placing his duty to seek justice ahead of his desire to preserve a wrongful conviction.. Man Halts His Murder Trial, Confesses to Killing Teen Girl After Valentine's Dance 47 Years Ago, videotape of his confession obtained by WOODTV. 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. This was one of the worst cases of police tunnelvision Ive ever seen, said Drizin. The Donald Pritzker Entrepreneurship Law Center (DPELC) continued its Future of Innovation, Sustainability and the Law Speaker Series in February. 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. For more background information about the case, see Ken Kolkers Making a Monster on WOODTV. McCann, a reserve police officer, agreed to help participate in the search. He lost his position as a reserve officer. One of the perjury counts stemmed from McCanns testimony that he had searched for Parrack at the Tumble Dam ruin. 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. He was born January 1, 1925 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin to. When the girls body was found at the cemetery, authorities pointed fingers back in McCanns direction. Michigan Innocence Clinic Director David Moran (left) and Raymond McCann II, Support The National Registry of Exonerations , The Contribution of Forensic and Expert Evidence to DNA Exoneration Cases, Race and Wrongful Convictions in the United States, 2022, Government Misconduct and Convicting the Innocent, Witness Recantations: Preliminary Findings, May 2013, Exonerations in the United States: 1989 - 2012, Tell us about an Exoneration that we missed, Other Michigan Exonerations with Innocence Organization Involvement. Thiscase was the CWC's third partnership with the Michigan Innocence Clinic, all of which resulted in exonerations. Under interrogation, Furlong insisted he did not know McCann and told the authorities that when he learned that McCann had been arrested, he believed that he was in the clear.. McCann was a reserve police officer that was charged with five counts of perjury, arising out of a 2007 murder case. But it was former Constantine reserve police officer, Raymond McCann, who repeatedly suggested . Thiscase was the CWCs third partnership with the Michigan Innocence Clinic, all of which resulted in exonerations. That scared Ray to death, Swygert says. But it did., Photo: Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, An Innocuous Suggestion Raises Suspicions, Rebuilding a Life After Countless Moments Lost, 2007 Murder Investigation: Cold Case Shocker, 'People Magazine Investigates' Features Man's 24-Year Wrongful Prison Sentence: 'Never Thought It Could Happen', 'People Magazine Investigate' s Chronicles How a Professor Helped a Wrongfully Imprisoned Man Get on with His Life, 'I Get to Finally Go Home': Ga. Man Exonerated of Taco Bell Murder After Serving 23 Years in Prison, More Than 15 Years After Madeleine McCann's Disappearance, Questions Remain Unanswered: 5 Things to Know, Mich. Brothers Freed from Prison 25 Years After Wrongful Murder Convictions: 'Total Miscarriage of Justice', Chicago Man Released from Prison 9 Years After Identical Twin Confessed to the Murder That Put Him Behind Bars, Evidence in Hae Min Lee's Murder Case Will Be Tested for DNA at Request of Adnan Syed and State Prosecutors, Tenn. The conviction was thrown out in 2017 at the. The motion was filed by theCenter on Wrongful Convictionsat Northwestern Pritzker School of Law and theMichigan 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. This was one of the worst cases of police tunnelvision Ive ever seen, said Drizin. the city's database of civilian complaints against the NYPD, the department is not forthcoming despite, Read more about what weve included in the database and why, see our answers to questions we have received about this data, downloadable from ProPublicas Data Store, Abuse of Authority: Threat To Damage/Seize Property. When I got out of prison, I went through a lot of depression wondering why this happened, he says. He filed a lawsuit last week in federal court. Police continued to pursue McCann aggressively for years even though DNA evidence found on the victim did not match McCann. 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. From both projects launched a re-investigation in the search wondering why this happened, he says to. 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