Anthony Harris was only 12 years old when he was charged with murdering his 5-year-old neighbor, Devan Duniver.
Anthony Harris’ conviction was eventually overturned, and he claims he is still haunted by the heinous crime more than two decades later.
When investigators started looking into 12-year-old Anthony Harris as a possible suspect in a heinous murder, his mother was understandably concerned. Cynthia Harris, on the other hand, could only watch as her young son was arrested despite recanting his confession.
20/20: Who Is Anthony Harris’ Mother? Meet Cyndi Harris
On June 28, 1998, Devan Duniver, a five-year-old boy, was found murdered. The Harris family shared an apartment in New Philadelphia, Ohio, with the Dunivers at the time.
In the days that followed, investigators questioned Anthony, but he gave contradictory statements about where he was when Devan went missing. They paid a visit to the Harris home on July 2, 1998, and mentioned wanting Anthony and his brother, Michael, to come down to the station to look at some photos.
However, while Cyndi was going to get her car keys, the officer asked Anthony to jump in his car. They had already left by the time Cyndi arrived. Cyndi went to the police station with her sons on July 15, 1998, and was told that the children would be subjected to a voice stress test.
Anthony was first led into an interview room. When Cyndi expressed an interest in going in, she was told that Anthony needed to be alone with the interrogator.
Cyndi was then seated in an adjoining room with a mirror so she could see what was going on. The officers claimed she could hear the interview as well, but this was not the case. During the session, Anthony confessed to the murder, but the majority of his statements contradicted the facts at the time.
Who is Anthony Harris? Devan Duniver’s Murder Suspect
Despite a lack of physical evidence linking him to the murder scene and repeated claims that he was forced to make a false confession, Anthony Harris was coerced into confessing to Devan Duniver’s murder during a hostile interrogation, and he was subsequently convicted and imprisoned.
Harris was imprisoned for two years as a juvenile before winning an appeal and having his conviction overturned.
However, the long-term consequences of being wrongfully accused — and knowing that Devan’s killer is still at large — make it difficult to move on.
Residents who spent hours searching for Devan after she went missing from her New Philadelphia, Ohio, neighborhood on June 27, 1998, shared Harris’ sentiment. According to Harris, there were leads in the case that were not pursued.
Anthony Harris Jail Sentence- Where Is He Now?
Anthony Harris was convicted of Devan’s murder in March 1999. Nonetheless, Cyndi was adamant that her son was innocent and that any sentence was unjust.
When Anthony’s conviction was overturned in 2000, the court determined that the confession was coerced, and she was proven correct. Harris went on to serve in the United States Marine Corps, which Cyndi was undoubtedly proud of.
She stated that everything that had happened had taught her son to never give up. Harris appears to have kept a low profile since then, with older reports putting her in New Philadelphia.
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