Thursday, April 18, 2024 | St. Lawrence County, NY
By ANDY GARDNER CANTON -- The prosecution has rested its case in the Potsdam murder trial following testimony from a former Clarkson soccer player who was coached by the defendant. A former Clarkson …
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By ANDY GARDNER
CANTON -- The prosecution has rested its case in the Potsdam murder trial following testimony from a former Clarkson soccer player who was coached by the defendant.
A former Clarkson soccer player who played under Oral "Nick" Hillary testified that he was treated differently after Garrett Phillips's death, but the defense strategy focused on showing it was because of poor on-field performance.
Hillary is on trial in St. Lawrence County Court for the Oct. 24, 2011 killing of Garrett Phillips in Potsdam.
Jacob Duff, who played Clarkson soccer between 2010 and 2012, said Hillary's attitude changed after the boy's death.
Hillary had told police that as part of his alibi, he was meeting with Duff and former Assistant Coach Ian Fairlie to discuss Duff's ability to play following an injury.
Hillary had claimed he called Duff the afternoon of the death to schedule a meeting, but Duff said he never got the call.
He said they spoke briefly around 2:14 p.m. Oct. 24 to discuss the upcoming practice and game, but the call was dropped before they could talk about more.
“It seemed like the call was dropped … I had already said everything I needed to say," Duff said.
“Did the defendant ever call you back and leave a voicemail message?” District Attorney Mary Rain asked.
“No he did not,” Duff said, adding that he would never miss a scheduled meeting with a coach.
“I gradually started to notice a distinct lack of respect towards me … from coach," Duff said, adding that he was a starter at the beginning of his soccer career and earned a Liberty League honorable mention for one of his first couple of seasons. He said Hillary put him in games less frequently.
Under cross-examination, defense attorney Peter Dumas produced Duff's phone records that showed a 29-second call from Hillary's number shortly after the 2:14 p.m. conversation on Oct. 24, 2011.
Under cross-examination, defense attorney Peter Dumas asked about the Clarkson soccer record while Duff played. He testified they won about half their games his first season and less than half his second.
“As head coach he wants to have a winning team … or he’s not doing his job," Dumas said.
“That’s correct,” Duff said.
Duff said because of the way Hillary treated him, he quit the team before graduating.
