Following McCanns arrest, Furlong said, I thought I was in the clear, according to a videotape of his confession obtained by WOODTV. The compensation, for 73-year-old Richard Phillips, was. 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. In re the Marriage of RAYMOND C. and KATHLEEN D. McCANN. 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. 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. He became a person of interest in the case after he was one of several people to suggest searching the local cemetery. 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. 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. While McCann was in prison, a man named Daniel Furlong attempted to abduct another young girl in nearby White Pigeon, Michigan. You may be included in this settlement if you bought certain Coffee-Mate powder creamers (listed on the settlement site) between January 1, 2017 and December 8, 2022. The Michigan State Police detective testified under oath that video footage from a surveillance camera on a nearby factory proved McCann wasnt there that night. 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. 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. He hopes to work to change the law that led to his wrongful conviction. While McCann was in prison, a man named Daniel Furlong attempted to abduct another young girl in nearby White Pigeon, Michigan. Parracks body was found there a short time later. In 2014, the prosecutor then charged McCann with perjury during a murder investigation, which carries a life sentence. McCann served 20 months in jail and prison after feeling pressured to plead no contest to perjury. The girl got away and led authorities back to Daniel Furlong. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison. Stepping back into town, he feels really uncomfortable. 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. We are grateful to John McDonough, said Gregory Swygert, lead attorney from the Center on Wrongful Convictions team. cwc@law.northwestern.edu. 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. This page only includes allegations against this person for which the CCRB has completed its investigation. On November 21, 2015, Fender and her children were evicted. 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. Five months later, in August 2015, authorities identified another suspect, Daniel Furlong, after Furlong was arrested on suspicion of luring and assaulting a 10-year-old girl who escaped. He was exonerated for the charge after an investigation by the Michigan Innocence Clinic. Although DNA evidence found on the victim did not match his, McCann eventually was arrested in April 2014. 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. This was one of the worst cases of police tunnelvision Ive ever seen, said Drizin. McCann, Captain Raymond D. Retired Chicago Police Department, passed away on Friday, December 5th. Its been rough, he says. 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. The lawsuit alleges that McCann was the victim of a corrupt scheme by police. That scared Ray to death, Swygert says. We welcome new information from any source about exonerations already on our list and about cases not in the Registry that might be exonerations. All rights reserved. Loving grandfather of Shana and Carrie Subelsky. Chicago, IL 60611-3069 This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. McCann, a reserve police officer, agreed to help participate in the search. ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Mich. -- A man in St. Joseph County will be awarded approximately $40,000 for being wrongly convicted and imprisoned. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Excellence in Education Award Nominations. 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. I grew up in this town, and that was one of the places to look.. Raymond McCann We found 76 records for Raymond McCann in TX, WA and 26 other states. Tell 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. RAYMOND C. McCANN, Respondent, v. KATHLEEN D. McCANN, Appellant. He. 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. 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. All NRE reports represent a moment in time. I lost a lot, says McCann, a father of two and grandfather of two who works at an aluminum factory. 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. 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. 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. I was in law enforcement, and if it can happen to me, it can happen to anybody, he says. 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. Again, McCann refused to falsely confess to knowing Furlong. Theyve got their own opinions; theyre going to think what they think, he says. RAYMOND MCCANN OBITUARY DDS Jan. 1, 1925 - Dec. 10, 2013 Raymond McCann passed away Tuesday, December 10, 2013 at about 4:50 p.m. 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. I lost a lot of friends.. The big break in the case came as a result of brilliant work on the part of the Michigan Law students, said Swygert. 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. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel approved the compensation reward for Raymond McCann under the states Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Act or WICA. 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. The conviction was thrown out in 2017 at the. Whether hes the one who did it or was there when it happened, we dont know, then Constantine Police Chief Jim Bedell told PEOPLE in 2014, after McCanns arrest. It was a long process. While elated that his legal nightmare is finally over, McCann is still trying to put the pieces of his life back together. For the most accurate data, please search on the Detailed View page. New evidence proved him innocent in the case and a St. Joseph County Prosecutor dismissed the charges. McCannbecame "person of interest" in case after helping to find victims body. They stayed in a hotel until December 2015, when they moved into a single-family home where the landlord accepted Fender's Sandy voucher. In March of 2016, lawyers and students from both projects launched a re-investigation into the case. While McCann was in prison, a man named Daniel Furlong attempted to abduct another young girl in nearby White Pigeon, Michigan. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? 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. But the only criminal charge that resulted was for perjury. 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. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. 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. Shortly after plaintiff's plea-based conviction, another man confessed to the murder of the 11-year-old girl. This was one of the worst cases of police tunnelvision Ive ever seen, said Drizin. 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. 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. 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. 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.. The other exonerated clients include Jamie Peterson (Kalkaska County) and Davontae Sanford (Wayne County). 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. McCann served 20 months in jail and prison after feeling pressured to plead no contest to perjury. 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. 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. 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. McCann held many command posts at the Chicago Police Department during his 33 years serving the people of Chicago. The other exonerated clients include Jamie Peterson (Kalkaska County) and Davontae Sanford (Wayne County). 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. Couple Cleared of Wrongful Murder and Rape Convictions That Put Them Behind Bars for 27 Years, Kevin Strickland Exonerated After 43 Years in Prison Following Wrongful Conviction, Tx. For more compelling true crime coverage, follow our Crime magazine on Flipboard. Copyright 2019 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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.. McCann denied any role in the 2007 death of Parrack, but he was interviewed 20 times by state and local police in St. Joseph County. The perjury statute that coerced Ray to plead guilty needs to be changed, Swygert said. Loving father of Mary, Eileen, Kathleen (Ed), Delores (Jim), Raymond (Teresa) & Gerard (Maria). Brother of the late A 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. 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