David Moran, clinical pro-
fessor of law at the University
of Michigan and co-founder of
the Michigan Innocence Clinic,
delivered a webinar to almost
200 law students and community
members Tuesday morning. He
discussed the goals of the Michi-
gan Innocence Clinic as well as
recent exonerations the clinic has
achieved.
The
Michigan
Innocence
Clinic, founded in 2009, aims to
investigate cases where there was
no relevant DNA evidence in the
conviction. Law School students
are involved in the clinic’s work
through investigating cases while
gaining hands-on law experience
and credits..
“There is no DNA test, espe-
cially since in the United States
crimes
are
usually
commit-
ted with firearms,” Moran said.
“And so if you shoot somebody
as opposed to stabbing them or
strangling them, you’re especially
unlikely to leave behind biological
evidence.”
Moran also discussed three
recent cases that the clinic has
successfully handled. The first
case involved the wrongful con-
viction of Desmond Ricks, who
was accused of murdering his
friend Gerry Bennett outside a
burger joint in Detroit.
Moran explained how after
Ricks
witnessed
his
friend’s
murder, he ran home, dropping
his jacket and wallet. The police
discovered Ricks’ address and
showed up at his home to find a
gun, which they claimed to be the
murder weapon.
Years later, the Detroit Police
Crime Lab was exposed for fraud-
ulent
bullet-to-gun
matching.
Moran explained how the clinic
used the lab’s malpractice to help
exonerate Ricks.
“The Detroit Police Crime Lab
was shut down after an audit
was done by the Michigan State
Police,” Moran said. “And what
that audit showed was that in
the
firearms
ballistics-match-
ing unit in particular, there was
widespread misfeasance, and in
fact, they were matching bullets
to guns where they didn’t really
match.”
As a result of the discovery,
Moran explained how Ricks’ case
was reopened and he was eventu-
ally released from prison after 25
years. He received compensation
for wrongful conviction and was
able to reunite with his family,
according to Moran.
Another recent case involved
the murder of an 11-year-old
girl, Jodi Parrack, in Constan-
tine, Mich. According to Moran,
Ray McCann was wrongfully
convicted of murdering Parrack
after he suggested searching the
cemetery and Parrack’s body was
found there shortly after. McCann
claimed he was innocent, yet the
Michigan State Police contin-
ued to question him, lying to him
about having DNA evidence and
videos to prove his guilt.
Moran went on to discuss how
while McCann was spending time
in prison, Daniel Furlong, a fel-
low community member, tried to
abduct and murder a young girl.
The girl got away and the police
called Furlong in for question-
ing. Furlong confessed he was
responsible for the murder of Par-
rack and that he felt safe enough
to do it again due to the police’s
intense focus on McCann. Moran
explained how he exposed the lies
the detectives told McCann after
Furlong’s confession.
“So instead of doing the right
thing at that point and realizing
that they had hounded an inno-
cent man for all these years, the
police actually went to the pris-
on where Ray McCann was held
and told him that Daniel Furlong
had just been caught and had
implicated Ray McCann as an
accomplice,” Moran said. “Again,
another complete lie.”
3
Thursday, May 14, 2020
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com NEWS
Over 1,750 University of Michigan
students, faculty and community
members signed a petition aimed at
protecting graduate students amid
the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter
calls for the University to provide
an emergency stipend to all gradu-
ate students, support international
student visa issues, extend degree
requirement deadlines and health
insurance eligibility, among other
measures.
Graduate students have been
affected by the pandemic in multiple
ways — from the closing of labs that
left many students concerned about
graduating on time to worries about
finding a job during an economic cri-
sis.
Jeff Lockhart, Graduate Employ-
ees’ Organization member, said see-
ing graduate students at universities
like Yale and Harvard demand simi-
lar protections inspired the caucus
to draft a letter with reasonable
demands.
“We spent quite a bit of energy try-
ing to figure out what other universi-
ties were doing,” Lockhart said.
The initial letter was sent to a
group of graduate students for feed-
back and was later released to the
public on May 1. The Daily published
an op-ed by the GEO’s COVID Cau-
cus calling on the University to sup-
port the health and safety of graduate
students.
Lockhart said he hopes they won’t
face resistance on the demands,
including requests such as represen-
tation of graduate students on the
provost’s committees.
“We feel the graduate students
need to be represented in the room
as a voice as part of that decision-
making process,” Lockhart said.
The Daily reached out to Pub-
lic Affairs Associate Director Kim
Broekhuizen, who declined to com-
ment and said via email they would
“respond directly to those who sent
the petition.”
Rackham student Nishita Trisal
discussed how the University made
announcements
for
undergradu-
ate students, such as the Pass/No
Record Covid grading and tenure-
track extensions, but there had been
no mention of graduate students. She
said there needs to be University sup-
port for people finishing their Ph.D.s
in addition to help at the departmen-
tal level.
“I think these (COVID-19-related
challenges) kept emboldening us to
feel like we need to make the case
for broader protections that aren’t
just based on the benevolence of this
administrator here or there,” Trisal
said.
Rackham student Theodore Nash
signed the petition because of the
challenges he is facing as an interna-
tional student during the COVID-19
crisis. Nash felt compelled to leave a
testimonial when he signed the peti-
tion to express the importance of
these issues.
“I now face profound uncertainty
as to when I will physically be able to
return to America,” Nash wrote. “I
sign in solidarity with all those who
faced unexpected expenses (espe-
cially if they were unlucky enough
to go through the Rackham funding
process — which takes a good amount
of emotional energy — and have their
request denied) and others who are
stuck in their home countries facing
that same uncertainty.”
Rackham student Paloma Contre-
ras addressed the financial issues she
is facing in her testimonial.
“We don’t receive funding over
the
summer,”
Contreras
wrote.
“These are four months in which I
will not be receiving a stipend, and
as an international student, I won’t
receive the stimulus check issued by
the government. On top of that, many
of us don’t receive tax exemptions
that U.S. citizens do receive. Coming
from a working class family, my par-
ents and brother do not have access
to health care in my home country,
and the three of them are currently
unemployed. How am I supposed to
survive financially?”
1,750+ sign petition calling
for grad student protection
VARSHA VEDAPUDI
Daily Staff Reporter
Design by Cara Jhang
Law School clinic
Law School clinic
re-examines cases
re-examines cases
LAURA MILLAR
Daily Staff Reporter
Read more at michigandaily.com
Read more at michigandaily.com
Michigan Innocence Clinic investigates
wrongful convictions
Graduate Employees’
Organization demands
support from ‘U’