The other exonerated clients include Jamie Peterson (Kalkaska County) and Davontae Sanford (Wayne County). The big break in the case came as a result of brilliant work on the part of the Michigan Law students, said Swygert. Phone: (718) 792-0270 Ray McCann was sentenced to 20 months to 20 years . Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Today he acted honorably in placing his duty to seek justice ahead of his desire to preserve a wrongful conviction.. 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. 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. 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. All content Copyright 2023 WBND. 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. (516) 569-4000, To donate or for more information, click here, Tyler Flach sentenced to 25 years to life for Khaseen Morris killing, Nassau County passes new legislative district map, MTA prepares for season's first snowstorm, Valley Stream smoke shop manager charged in sale of THC products, Powered by Creative Circle Media Solutions. He currently is serving a sentence of 30 to 60 years in prison. 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. He was 78. When the girls body was found at the cemetery, authorities pointed fingers back in McCanns direction. The amount of compensation each person receives under WICA is based on how many years they were imprisoned up until their release. (Credit: Center on Wrongful Convictions, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law). While McCann was in prison, a man named Daniel Furlong attempted to abduct another young girl in nearby White Pigeon, Michigan. RAYMOND MCCANN OBITUARY. Again, McCann refused to falsely confess to knowing Furlong. The office of St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough, which won and then abandoned the perjury conviction, declined PEOPLEs request for comment. A reporter who followed the case, Ken Kolker of WOOD TV in Grand Rapids, helped bring McCanns experience to the attention of the wrongful conviction programs at Northwestern and Michigan. McCann, a reserve police officer, agreed to help participate in the search. Nov 30, 2015 40 Dislike Share WOOD TV8 170K subscribers A former Michigan State Police detective who came out of retirement to solve the Jodi Parrack murder said he has no regrets about how. He died in 1976 in Balw, Australia at 23 years old. I didnt want to, but I had to, he says. 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. He. Police continued to pursue McCann aggressively for years even though DNA evidence found on the victim did not match McCann. 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. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison in 2015. All rights reserved. This page only includes allegations against this person for which the CCRB has completed its investigation. What they did to me was wrong, completely. information about the Registry, Perjury or False Accusation, Official Misconduct, Inadequate Legal Defense. New evidence proved him innocent in the case and a St. Joseph County Prosecutor dismissed the charges. 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. This was one of the worst cases of police tunnel vision Ive ever seen. He was exonerated for the charge after an investigation by the Michigan Innocence Clinic. He suggested they search the cemetery, and that's. That scared Ray to death, Swygert says. 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. 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. Even Judge Stutesman, who accepted the plea and sentenced Ray has said the law as terrible, said Swygert. 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. Born in Swedesboro he lived the. A Michigan State Police detective falsely told McCann they had evidence tying him to the murder, including that McCanns DNA was on Parracks body and Parracks DNA was in McCanns truck -- neither of which were true. For more background information about the case, see Ken Kolkers Making a Monster on WOODTV. 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. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. Raymond McCann II is one of three men getting a total of $2.32 million through Michigan's Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Act. Ray McCann II: Wrongly convicted, beaten, exonerated WOOD TV8 188K subscribers Subscribe 499 43K views 5 years ago Raymond McCann II was locked up for 20 months for a lie he never told over a. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Excellence in Education Award Nominations. . on our list, Other All Rights Reserved. Raymond was a graduate of Istrouma High School class of 1962 and Louisiana State University class of 1966. 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. In the meantime, he lost his job, his wife divorced him, and his son cut ties with him. 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. 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.. 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 . Drizin recruited his CWC colleagues Greg Swygert and Megan Crane, students Courtney Cronin and Caroline McMahon, David Moran, Director of the Michigan Innocence Clinic, to work on the case. The perjury statute that coerced Ray to plead guilty needs to be changed. Following McCanns arrest, Furlong said, I thought I was in the clear, according to a videotape of his confession obtained by WOODTV. 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. 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. 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. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel approved the. 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 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. 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. 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 held many command posts at the Chicago Police Department during his 33 years serving the people of Chicago. 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. Report an error or add more information about this case. McCann, a reserve police officer, agreed to help participate in the search. 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. 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. 2nd Floor Parracks body was found there a short time later. They stayed in a hotel until December 2015, when they moved into a single-family home where the landlord accepted Fender's Sandy voucher. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison in 2015. Yet even after Furlongs confession, authorities still bore down on McCann in jail. Bluhm Legal Clinic Northwestern Pritzker School of Law 375 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611-3069 Phone: 312.503.8576. Now, the former volunteer youth athletics coach hopes his reputation rebounds enough that he can again work with kids. McCann eventually pleaded no contest to a perjury charge to avoid the potential of a life sentence he was facing if found guilty. Steven DrizinAttorney at Northwesterns Center on Wrongful Convictions, This was one of the worst cases of police tunnel vision Ive ever seen.. 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. 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. 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. The other exonerated clients include Jamie Peterson (Kalkaska County) and Davontae Sanford (Wayne County). Chicago, IL 60611-3069 The conviction was thrown out in 2017 at the. He became a person of interest after he was one of several people to suggest searching the local cemetery. 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. These are the Civilian Complaint Review Boards findings regarding this NYPD officer. For more background information about the case, see Ken Kolkers Making a Monster on WOODTV. 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. Jodi was reported missing at about 7 p.m. by her mother, Valerie Carver, who found her strangled body later that same evening in the local cemetery. Maybe if he sits in jail for a while, he will cooperate.. 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. McCann understands that some people may still hold the allegation against him. Raymond G. McCann, a former New York City firefighter and president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians Nassau County Board, died on Dec. 11 following complications from a surgical procedure. 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. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. 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. In re the Marriage of RAYMOND C. and KATHLEEN D. McCANN. Despite intense pressure, McCann insisted he was innocent. The girl got away and led authorities back to Daniel Furlong. 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. 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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. This was one of the worst cases of police tunnel vision Ive ever seen. The Registry also maintains a more limited database of known exonerations prior to 1989. Drizin recruited his CWC colleagues Greg Swygert and Megan Crane, students Courtney Cronin and Caroline McMahon, David Moran, Director of the Michigan Innocence Clinic, to work on the case. He was born January 1, 1925 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin to. I lost a lot of friends.. You can see it in their eyes. Raymond McCann served 20 months for perjury after taking a plea deal in what a federal lawsuit claims was a scheme to manufacture charges to pressure him into confessing to the 2007 murder of 11-year-old Jodi Parrack. First, the 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. Drizin recruited his colleagues Greg Swygert and Megan Crane from the Center on Wrongful Convictions, and students Courtney Cronin and Caroline McMahon, to work on the case and approached David Moran, the Director of the Michigan Innocence Clinic, to see if he was interested in partnering. Furlong later confessed, was charged and then sentenced as Parracks killer, reports MLive.com. Its been rough, he says. Police continued to pursue McCann aggressively for years even though DNA evidence found on the victim did not match McCann. Ray McCann said his constitutional rights were violated by various police officers in St. Joseph County. Get the latest news delivered to your inbox. Ill never get an apology, I dont think, he says. 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. Even my sister turned against me at the time, he says. 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. 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. He is seeking an unspecified amount in damages. 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 eventually admitted to killing Parrack eight years earlier, and a subsequent DNA test on Furlong matched DNA found on Parrack. 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. 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.. 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. 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. McCann, a reserve police officer, agreed to help participate in the search. The girl got away and led authorities back to Daniel Furlong, who lived in Constantine at the time of Parracks 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. the city's database of civilian complaints against the NYPD. 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. He told investigators he did not know McCann. Parracks body was found there a short time later. An exonerated Michigan man who spent 45 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit has been awarded $1.5 million in compensation. On Friday, Raymond McCann II filed a federal lawsuit against the estate of the late former Constantine Police Chief James Bedell, Constantine Officer Marcus Donker, Michigan State Police. 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