FRAMINGHAM, MA (AP) During his nearly three decades in prison, Michael Sullivan suffered severe beatings in multiple prison attacks, lost his mother and four brothers, and saw his girlfriend move on with her life.
All for a murder he denied for a long time.
Sullivan, 64, received some justice earlier this month when a Massachusetts jury found him not guilty of Wilfred McGrath’s 1986 murder and robbery. Despite state laws capping awards for unjust convictions at $1 million, he received $13 million. Although Sullivan’s conviction was not assured by his evidence, the jury also discovered that a state police scientist had given a false statement throughout the trial.
In recent years, the state has overturned a number of convictions, this one being the most recent.
Speaking in his primary lawyer Michael Heineman’s office in Framingham, Massachusetts, Sullivan stated, “The most important thing is finding me innocent of the murder, expunging it from my record.” Naturally, I will much benefit from the money.
We accept the jury’s decision and are considering whether an appeal is warranted, a representative for the Massachusetts attorney general stated.
Following police claims that McGrath was robbed, beaten, and his body discarded behind an abandoned supermarket, Sullivan was found guilty in 1987 of murder and armed robbery.
When authorities discovered that his sister had gone out with McGrath the night before the murder and that the two had visited the apartment she shared with Sullivan, they focused their attention on Sullivan. Gary Grace, another murder suspect, was implicated by Sullivan and had his murder charges withdrawn. Sullivan was wearing a purple jacket the night of the murder, according to Grace’s testimony during the trial. A former State Police chemist also stated that he discovered blood on the garment and a hair that was McGrath’s, not Sullivan’s.
Sullivan received a life sentence after being proven guilty. Grace was given a six-year term after entering a guilty plea to accessory after murder. Emil Petrla entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder after beating McGrath and assisting in the disposal of his body. He was given a life sentence with the chance of release, however he passed away while incarcerated.
Recalling that the prosecution brought up the purple jacket five times during their closing argument, Sullivan remarked, “I couldn’t believe I was convicted of murder.” Both my brother and mother were crying in the courtroom. I was in tears. My family and I had a very difficult time.
For Sullivan, prison would be a nightmare. In one incident, he almost lost an ear, and in another, his nose was nearly bitten off. Additionally, the jail system prevented him from enrolling in any classes to acquire critical skills because he was a lifer.
A person finds it extremely difficult, particularly when they are aware of their innocence, according to Sullivan. You know, prison is a dreadful existence. Life in prison is difficult.
However, Sullivan’s fortunes took a significant turn in 2011.
DNA testing, which had not been available for the initial trial that revealed no blood on the coat, was ordered by Sullivan’s lawyer. Additionally, the tests were unable to identify whether the hair on a jacket belonged to McGrath and discovered that the materials on the garment did not contain his DNA.
Boston lawyer Dana Curhan, who defended Sullivan from 1992 until 2014 and advocated for the DNA test, claimed that Sullivan had always assured him that McGrath’s blood wasn’t on the jacket. However, he was taken aback to discover that there was no blood, undermining the prosecution’s claim that Sullivan had severely beaten McGrath.
He basically stated, “Hey, if he wasn’t the one who did it, why did they find blood on both of the jacket’s cuffs?” at the prosecutor’s closing. “Curhan said.” He said that again and again. We currently lack a DNA match and blood. You would think that he would be covered in blood for what he was accused of committing. No blood is present. It was true.
Sullivan was freed in 2013 after a fresh trial was mandated in 2012. He had to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet for years after being placed under house confinement for the first six months.
He claimed that I was feeling emotional when I left through the front entrance.
The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Sullivan’s right to a fresh trial in 2014, and the state chose not to retry the case in 2019. Marian Ryans, the Middlesex District Attorney at the time, stated that because of the passing of certain witnesses and the deteriorating recollections of other possible witnesses, it was nearly difficult for her office to successfully prosecute the case against Sullivan.
Sullivan acknowledges that he shut down after being released from prison and still finds it difficult to adjust to a world that drastically changed during his incarceration. He had been employed at a peanut mill prior to his arrest, and he had intended to attend school to become a truck driver and eventually work for his brother, who ran a trucking business.
Rather, he had limited chance of finding employment when he was released from prison. He generally assists his sister with odd tasks and is still unable to use a computer. After ten years of visiting him while incarcerated, his girlfriend—who he had known since he was twelve—had to move on with her life.
Sullivan said that he spends a lot of time with his Yorkshire terrier Buddy and the pigeons he maintains at his sister’s house, saying, “I’m still really not adjusted to the outside world.”
“It’s difficult for me,” he stated. I don’t go nowhere. I’m constantly afraid and essentially a recluse.
According to Donna Faria, Sullivan’s sister, the family never thought he killed McGrath. They supported Sullivan during the trial, spoke with him twice a week while he was incarcerated, and paid him a visit every few months.
However, Faria regrets everything that Sullivan lost while inside, pointing out that he never married or had children like the rest of us.
“My brother would have been on the streets like many homeless people if he hadn’t had me,” Faria said. He almost seems to lack faith in people. He feels secure when he is among his family. He doesn’t if he isn’t.
Sullivan now spends much of his time at Faria’s home in Billerica, Massachusetts, where he frequently does her family’s laundry, just as he did for other prisoners during his incarceration. Sullivan doesn’t think his life will change all that much in spite of the jury award.
In order to make sure his nieces and nephews have everything they need when they turn 21, Sullivan plans to save the majority of the money before treating himself to a new truck. Sullivan has not been receiving therapy for the difficulties he has faced, but according to his lawyer Heineman, he intends to request that the court include therapy and educational services in the decision.
They will be wealthy. “That will bring me great joy,” he remarked. The fact that my nieces and nephews are looking after them is what matters most.
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