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. I truly am thankful for that.. Police continued to pursue McCann aggressively for years even though DNA evidence found on the victim did not match McCann. 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 McCanns motion to vacate his 2012 perjury conviction. The amount of compensation each person receives under WICA is based on how many years they were imprisoned up until their release. I have a lot of nightmares. That scared Ray to death, Swygert says. The Registry also maintains a more limited database of known exonerations prior to 1989. All the investigators employers are also defendants in the case. 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. Ilana Braverman, co-founder and COO of Greener Northwestern University and Northwestern Pritzker School of Law hosted its annual DREAM Week, commemorating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Held on both the Evanston and Chicago 2023 Northwestern Pritzker School of Law News, Community Justice and Civil Rights Clinic Hosts Mayoral Town Hall with GoodKids MadCity, Ilana Braverman, Co-Founder and COO of Greener by Default, Speaks at the Future of Innovation, Sustainability and the Law Speaker Series, Civil Rights Lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill Speaks on the Power of Making Your Voice Heard During DREAM Week Keynote. Around 300 people were arrested, many of them brutally, on . The conviction was thrown out in 2017 at the. Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter. In 2014, the prosecutor then charged McCann with perjury during a murder investigation, which carries a life sentence. His wife divorced him. Man Halts His Murder Trial, Confesses to Killing Teen Girl After Valentine's Dance 47 Years Ago, videotape of his confession obtained by WOODTV. The girl got away and led authorities back to Daniel Furlong. But a detective claimed that surveillance video recorded from a nearby factory showed McCann was never there though the video evidence was later discredited. 312.503.2391 phone Police questioned him nearly two dozen times over five years. Even Judge Stutesman, who accepted the plea and sentenced Ray has said the law is terrible.. Maybe if he sits in jail for a while, he will cooperate.. 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. In March 2016, lawyers and students from both projects launched a re-investigation in the case. Estate Settlement Guide. He expects them to say, Were sorry, we messed up, Swygert says. October 8, 2008, age 64. 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 elated that his legal nightmare is finally over, McCann is still trying to put the pieces of his life back together. Use this database to search thousands of allegations. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Excellence in Education Award Nominations. For more recent information, visit Despite intense pressure, McCann insisted he was innocent. McCann, a reserve police officer, agreed to help participate in the search. Even my sister turned against me at the time, he says. The detective also told lies about McCann to his family members and friends, going so far as to tell 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. In 2014, the prosecutor charged McCann with perjury during a murder investigation, which carries a life sentence. Loving grandfather of Shana and Carrie Subelsky. on our list, Other He eventually admitted to killing Parrack eight years earlier, and a subsequent DNA test on Furlong matched DNA found on Parrack. 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. Loving step-father of Mark (Lori) Subelsky and Steven (Shelley) Subelsky. Who ever thought something like this could happen? 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. A Michigan State Police detective falsely told McCann they had evidence tying him to the murderincluding that McCanns DNA was on Parracks body and Parracks DNA was in McCanns truck. The girl got away and led authorities back to Daniel Furlong. Suspicion and accusation had raised doubts, and the town and McCanns own family turned against him. The Michigan students made two important discoveries that established there was no video evidence proving McCann had lied under oath about driving to the Tumble Dam. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison in 2015. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison in 2015. Although the tactics failed to coerce Ray into making a false confession, said Swygert, the tactics did succeed at ruining hisreputation and destroying his relationships with family and friends. Although DNA evidence found on the victim did not match his, McCann eventually was arrested in April 2014. He filed a lawsuit last week in federal court. 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.. 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. Ray McCann was sentenced to 20 months to 20 years . He told investigators he did not know McCann. In the meantime, he lost his job, his wife divorced him, and his son cut ties with him. 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. I lost a lot, says McCann, a father of two and grandfather of two who works at an aluminum factory. He currently is serving a sentence of 30 to 60 years in prison. 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. 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. This was one of the worst cases of police tunnel vision Ive ever seen. In fact, even after Furlong was identified by DNA evidence as the killer, the authorities went to McCanns prison and tried to pressure him into admitting that he and Furlong were accomplices. 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. Born in Swedesboro he lived the. 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. It was founded in 2012 in conjunction with the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law. 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. Brother of the late A 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. 2nd Floor The system failed, and I saw it. This was one of the worst cases of police tunnel vision Ive ever seen, Drizin said. Contract Concerns: Did St. Joseph County overpay for County-City Building security? 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. Thiscase was the CWC's third partnership with the Michigan Innocence Clinic, all of which resulted in exonerations. We welcome new information from any source about exonerations already on our list and about cases not in the Registry that might be exonerations. This was one of the worst cases of police tunnelvision Ive ever seen, said Drizin. These are the Civilian Complaint Review Boards findings regarding this NYPD officer. the city's database of civilian complaints against the NYPD. 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. 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. A complaint received from a civilian can include multiple allegations. The conviction was thrown out in 2017 at the request of a prosecutor, two years after another man confessed to killing 11-year-old Jodi Parrack. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel approved the compensation reward for Raymond McCann under the states Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Act or WICA. The other exonerated clients include Jamie Peterson (Kalkaska County) and Davontae Sanford (Wayne County). McCann was a reserve police officer in his hometown of Constantine when 11-year-old Jodi Parrack went missing in November 2007 a decade ago. I lost a lot of friends.. He suggested they search the cemetery, and that's. In March of 2016, Moran agreed and lawyers and students from both projects launched a re-investigation in the case. 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