Just days after a judge handed down a not-guilty verdict in the Oral "Nick" Hillary trial, the lead prosecutor, Onondaga District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, in the case sat down with reporter Iris St. Meran to provide his perspective on the case. He discussed the verdict of what is now only the second trial he has lost in his 25 year career as district attorney.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- It was a case being tried more than 100 miles from the courthouse he typically works in, but Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said he wanted a part in finding justice for Garrett Phillips, who was strangled inside his Potsdam home in 2011.
"It doesn't take much more than the murder of a helpless 12-year-old boy to pique my interest," Fitzpatrick said, "I was head of the Mutual Assistance Committee that investigated the case at the behest of [St. Lawrence County District Attorney Mary] Rain and pretty early on I said do you want my help and she was very eager to have my help."
Once the Nick Hillary trial began, he quickly became the lead prosecutor because he said Rain deferred to his experience with murder cases.
Hillary's case was a bench trial, and despite the outcome, Fitzpatrick is adamant Phillips died at the hands of the former Clarkson University soccer coach.
"We're not looking for Nicole Brown Simpson's real killer, and we're not looking for Garrett Phillips real killer," said Fitzpatrick.
A challenge for prosecutors was the fact that they had DNA evidence that linked Hillary to the crime. At the crime scene, DNA was taken from under Phillips' nails. The defense argued the program used to analyze that DNA isn't generally accepted by the scientific community.
"He's one of eight people in the United States of America to have that genetic profile," Fitzpatrick said.
And while he has prosecuted many murder cases, Garrett Phillips' impacted him personally.
"When you look at the video tape you want to yell at him, 'Garrett, look to your left. Look to your right. Do you see who's in that car hunting you, waiting for you?' But you can't turn back the hands of time,” Fitzpatrick reflected. “Garrett, as I said, now belongs to the angels and he'll rest in peace."
As for his time away from his home district, Fitzpatrick said he can run an efficient office without being here, and he was working in Syracuse on the weekends.