“Who Killed Garrett Phillips” is a deep dive into the murder of Garrett Phillips and the innocent life the trial almost ruined.
The two-part HBO series is an investigative documentary on the murder of Garrett Phillips, a 12-year old boy in Potsdam New York and the prejudice against Oral “Nick” Hillary, an African-American man whose life was almost ruined.
The apartment and crime scene of the murder of Garret Philips.
Photo Credit: Wall Street Journal
On October 24, 2011, two residents heard some alarming noises from their neighbor’s apartment and called police down to investigate. What the police found was Garrett Phillips, unresponsive due to strangulation and the window open with the screen bent out, a murder had just taken place and the culprit had escaped. Garrett passed away at the hospital and the police were in full force looking for the murderer. The police did not have much to work with, some items thrown around the room, a potential fingerprint on the glass window, some foreign DNA, and an impact mark on the grass below the window, all of which didn’t provide any leads. Several theories were thrown around, including that it could have been some of the kids from Garrett’s school who may not have liked him. However, very quickly the police threw out these theories and focused in on one suspect, Oral “Nick” Hillary, the soccer coach for Clarkson University, the ex-boyfriend of Garrett’s mother, Tandy Cyrus, and an African-American man.
Nick was a respected member of the Potsdam community; a veteran and a star soccer player turned star coach, but he was also one of the few African-American men there. Believing that he could have been holding some kind of resentment towards Tandy, the police immediately started to investigate Nick, calling him into the station under the pretenses of helping the investigation only to then interrogate him. To him, it was clear that they were grasping at straws, but it was also clear that they seemed to have almost entirely made their minds up as they tried to play mind games and make him confess. Luckily, Nick was determined to maintain his innocence and did not give in to the police’s questioning. Frustrated, the police issued a warrant to search Nick’s clothing and body for any injuries on his leg. They confiscated his clothing and performed a thorough strip search which was completely unnecessary. Nick submitted his fingerprints and DNA, both of which were not a match to the ones found at the crime scene. Besides the fact that he was an ex-boyfriend, the police had zero evidence against Nick Hillary, just personal bias and racial prejudice against him. Tandy’s other ex-boyfriend before Nick was John Jones, someone who turned out to have more substantial evidence against him than Nick but wasn’t investigated as thoroughly as Nick because he was a white man and the Sheriff’s Deputy.
Originally, Nick was not indicted because the St. Lawrence prosecutor, Nicole Duve, decided that there was not enough evidence to pursue it, however, this decision invited election challenger Mary Rain to use the trial as a political boost. She promised that if elected, she would bring this case to trial and find closure for the family and community, and when she won, she did just that. What follows is a lengthy trial with several twists from a trial being dismissed, skewed data, false testimonies, hidden evidence, and much more. The prosecutors try everything they can to pin the murder on Nick, even if it means lying and twisting the facts.
The documentary, directed by Liz Garbus, tells this story masterfully. It doesn’t try to make you think a certain way, it just sits back and presents all of the facts to you. From interviews with Nick and his lawyers to the cops and prosecutors, the documentary presents all sides of the story so that it can remain unbiased in its storytelling. Instead, you watch as the cops and prosecutors speak with confidence about the case yet almost admit the prejudice, injustice, and twisting they’ve done against Nick. One of the police officers says he had stripped searched several people in the
Nick Hillary and his attorneys. From left to right: Norman Siegel, Nick Hillary, Lisa Marcoccia, Mani Tafari, and Earl Ward.
investigation, not just Nick Hillary, yet admit later on that there was only one other, less intrusive strip search done just to say they performed other searches. The theater erupted in groans and laughter as these incompetent officers all but admitted their prejudice and lies. The documentary showed security surveillance footage of the police interrogation of Nick, where they tried to goad
him into a confession and would physically block him from leaving until he did. The entire room was silent during those parts as it was hard to watch these cops try to bully him and pin this murder on an innocent man. “The system is racist, it’s clear to all of us,” said Mani Tafari, a lawyer and friend of Nick’s, “but a case like this that shows you, clearly, what the police officers were trying to do in that interrogation room, I think you see the real need for change.” There are suspenseful moments, thrilling moments, moments that make you afraid of the corruption of the judicial system, and moments that make you rejoice that the system worked this one time.
It’s not often that you come across a documentary series where it is so hands-off, yet is still able to weave an interesting story. I think it is a testament to the director that not only did this story keep you on the edge of your seat and was entertaining, but it was informative as well. And it’s not trying to teach you about Nick’s story, but rather effects and the system that allowed a story like Nick’s as well as so many other innocent people, to be bullied, defamed, and falsely accused/detained in this country. The documentary series, “Who Killed Garret Phillips” is a two-part series airing on 7/23 and 7/24 on HBO. The documentary is an incredible watch, so definitely tune in to see it!
