In the summer of 1998, Anthony Harris, who was just 12 at the time, was coerced into confessing to a murder he didn’t commit.
One day after five-year-old Devan Duniver went missing from her Ohio apartment, she was found dead in nearby woodland with seven fatal stab wounds to the neck. Harris, just a child himself, confessed to the crime during a hostile interrogation and was jailed for two years.
Now, more than 20 years later, Harris has spoken out about the wrongful conviction and explained how hard it is to move on with his life knowing that Duniver’s killer is still out there.
In a preview from an upcoming episode of 20/20 - a popular news programme in the US - Harris has spoken candidly about his false confession, explaining: “The investigator, he had basically told me that, 'If you confess to this murder you can go home’.”
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Harris continued, as reported by PEOPLE: "It's like, 'Okay. Well, I'm over here scared, so I want to go home.'"
Harris was handed two years in a juvenile prison despite no physical evidence tying him to the murder, but his conviction was eventually overturned following an appeal.
He told 20/20’s John Quiñones: “Even though it hurt a lot, it didn't destroy my core as a person. I don't hold resentment in my voice when I speak."
However, Harris admitted it’s hard to put the devastating incident behind him while Duniver’s killer walks free.
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"This guy, this individual's still free right now. We're going to figure this out [and] give her some kind of closure,” he said.
Disturbingly, there was no shortage of suspects in Duniver’s murder, with People noting that most of the people closest to the young girl had troubled pasts.
Shortly before the murder, Duniver’s custodial mother had allegedly made a phone call to a suicide hotline claiming she was considering harming herself and her children.
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What’s more, Duniver’s biological dad - who was arguing with her mum at the time of her death - had a history of domestic violence.
Duniver was also allegedly kidnapped by the boyfriend of her mother the year prior and neighbours described the little girl’s brother as being violent.
On top of that, sniffer dogs on the scene of Duniver’s murder led police towards the home of a convicted child molester who had just been released from prison.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 8am–10pm Monday to Friday, 9am–6pm weekends. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111
Topics: Crime, Film and TV