Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Excellence in Education Award Nominations. Steven DrizinAttorney at Northwesterns Center on Wrongful Convictions, This was one of the worst cases of police tunnel vision Ive ever seen.. McCann, a reserve police officer, agreed to help participate in the search. Best Match Powered by Whitepages Premium AGE 80+ Raymond E McCann Houston, TX (Westside) View Full Report Addresses Rolido Dr, Houston, TX Phone Numbers (713) nay - peek Report an error or add more information about this case. 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 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 amount of compensation each person receives under WICA is based on how many years they were imprisoned up until their release. 312.503.2391 phone We are grateful to John McDonough, said Gregory Swygert, lead attorney from the Center on Wrongful Convictions team. 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. Loving step-father of Mark (Lori) Subelsky and Steven (Shelley) Subelsky. 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. While elated that his legal nightmare is finally over, McCann is still trying to put the pieces of his life back together. 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. He died in 1976 in Balw, Australia at 23 years old. Yet even after Furlongs confession, authorities still bore down on McCann in jail. 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. 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. At the same time, theres a lot of people who will stop me in the streets and say, Hey, Im sorry, I crucified you before, and now I see what really happened,' he says. 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 eventually admitted to killing Parrack eight years earlier, and a subsequent DNA test on Furlong matched DNA found on Parrack. In March 2016, lawyers and students from both projects launched a re-investigation in the case. Four Winds Casino South Bend celebrates hotel grand opening, St. Joe High School basketball player shares his story after overcoming gun violence, Brey preps for final home game as head coach of Notre Dame men's basketball, Free virtual workshop on housing and lending laws, Indiana Toll Road reopens after large police presence. Man Halts His Murder Trial, Confesses to Killing Teen Girl After Valentine's Dance 47 Years Ago, videotape of his confession obtained by WOODTV. McCann, Captain Raymond D. Retired Chicago Police Department, passed away on Friday, December 5th. Ray McCann was sentenced to 20 months to 20 years . I was a hostage, not a prisoner, and thats the way I felt, McCann, 50, says. Weve pretty much mended back. Its going to take a while to recover. He and his new girlfriend just want to get this behind me and live our lives. While elated that his legal nightmare is finally over, McCann is still trying to put the pieces of his life back together. The lawsuit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids, names the estate of the late former Constantine Police Chief James Bedell, Constantine officer Marcus Donker, St. Joseph County Sheriffs Detective Sgt. In March of 2016, Moran agreed and lawyers and students from both projects launched a re-investigation in the case. Devoted husband of Delores (nee LeDoux). October 8, 2008, age 64. McCann, a reserve police officer, agreed to help participate in the search. The big break in the case came as a result of brilliant work on the part of the Michigan Law students, Swygert said. 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. 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. Parracks body was found there a short time later. 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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. 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.. Ray McCann said his constitutional rights were violated by various police officers in St. Joseph County. The perjury statute that coerced Ray to plead guilty needs to be changed. In re the Marriage of RAYMOND C. and KATHLEEN D. McCANN. One of the perjury counts stemmed from McCanns testimony that he had searched for Parrack at the Tumble Dam ruin. The other exonerated clients include Jamie Peterson (Kalkaska County) and Davontae Sanford (Wayne County). 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. Thiscase was the CWC's third partnership with the Michigan Innocence Clinic, all of which resulted in exonerations. The settlement agreement called for more than 300 protesters confined that day using a police tactic they referred to as . McCann, a reserve police officer, agreed to help participate in the search. They were still sure he was involved, despite everything saying otherwise., Says McCann: They were so deep in it with me that they had to continue with it.. 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. 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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. 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. Drizin worked with colleagues Swygert and Megan Crane from the Center on Wrongful Convictions and Northwestern Law students Courtney Cronin and Caroline McMahon and partnered with David Moran, the director of the Michigan Innocence Clinic. Parracks body was found there a short time later. 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. Parracks body was found there a short time later. 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. 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. 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. McCanns case marks the Center on Wrongful Convictions third partnership with the Michigan Innocence Clinic, all of which have resulted in exonerations. I think now that my charges are reversed, Ill have a better chance.. He lost his position as a reserve officer. 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. The National Registry of Exonerations is a project of the Newkirk Center for Science & Society at University of California Irvine, the University of Michigan Law School and Michigan State University College of Law. 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. 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. 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. RAYMOND C. McCANN, Respondent, v. KATHLEEN D. McCANN, Appellant. 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. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. For more recent information, visit Chicago, IL 60611-3069 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Even Judge Stutesman, who accepted the plea and sentenced Ray has said the law as terrible, said Swygert. 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. This was one of the worst cases of police tunnel vision Ive ever seen. He became a person of interest in the case after he was one of several people to suggest searching the local cemetery. He lost his job, was estranged from his son, and his wife divorced him.. Stepping back into town, he feels really uncomfortable. The conviction was thrown out in 2017 at the. Despite intense pressure, McCann insisted he was innocent. 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. 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 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. 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. 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. October 8, 2008, age 64. 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. 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. Id definitely like to get back into coaching, he says. 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. 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. RAYMOND MCCANN OBITUARY.