Do you know who killed 12 year old Garrett Phillips in 2011? On a rainy afternoon in Potsdam, New York, on October 24, 2011, 12-year-old Garrett Phillips was tragically killed. He was a sixth-grader at A.A. Kingston Middle School, known for being an athletic and popular boy who enjoyed playing various sports. Earlier that afternoon, Garrett had been playing basketball with friends at the local high school before his mother, Tandy Cyrus, called and told him to head home to do his homework.
Shortly after arriving at his apartment, neighbors heard strange noises, prompting a 911 call. When a police officer arrived, he heard the lock click from inside the apartment. Upon gaining entry, the officer found Garrett unresponsive. He was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead at 7:18 p.m. An autopsy later determined his cause of death was asphyxia from strangulation and suffocation. The only signs of a struggle were a bent window screen in a bedroom and a few fingerprints.
The investigation into the death of the male child quickly focused on one primary suspect: Oral 'Nick' Hillary, a Jamaican man who was the soccer coach at Clarkson University and the ex-boyfriend of Garrett's mother. Investigators honed in on Hillary almost immediately, despite a lack of direct physical evidence connecting him to the crime. Two days after Garrett's death, Hillary was brought to the police station for questioning. Police noted that he showed little emotion and did not inquire about the cause of Garrett's death. They also looked for evidence that Hillary may have injured his ankle by jumping from the second-story window of the apartment, a theory the prosecution put forward. Surveillance footage from a soccer game the day after the murder, which police said showed Hillary limping, was later released by his attorney. Hillary maintained his innocence and provided an alibi, stating he was at his assistant coach's house around the time of the murder.
Years after Garrett's death, in 2015, Nick Hillary was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. The case against him was entirely circumstantial. During the investigation, it was revealed that DNA found under Garrett's fingernails did not match Hillary's. His defense team argued there was no direct evidence to tie him to the crime. Hillary opted for a bench trial, meaning a judge, not a jury, would decide his fate. After a three-week trial in 2016, Judge Felix J. Catena found Nick Hillary not guilty of all charges. The acquittal was a stunning moment for Garrett's family and many in the community who believed Hillary was responsible. The case drew national attention and was the subject of an HBO documentary, 'Who Killed Garrett Phillips?,' which explored the complexities of the investigation, including allegations of racial bias and prosecutorial misconduct. Following his acquittal, Hillary filed civil lawsuits against the village of Potsdam and St. Lawrence County, alleging unlawful detention and that he was targeted by police. The murder of Garrett Phillips remains officially unsolved.
