Where is Anthony Harris Now?

Image Credit: ABC News/YouTube

The discovery of a young girl’s dead body in June 1998 changed a then-12-year-old Anthony Harris’ life forever. After Devan Duniver was found dead in a woody area in New Philadelphia, Ohio, the authorities turned their attention to her neighbor, Anthony. In the years that followed, Anthony was convicted despite no evidence tying him to the murder. The legal battle that followed affected Anthony’s life profoundly. ABC News’ ‘20/20: Gone Before The Storm’ looks into the case and features an interview with Anthony. So, if you’re curious about what happened to him since then, here’s what we know.

Anthony Harris’ Life Since Conviction

In July 1998, Anthony was brought in by the authorities for questioning regarding Devan’s gruesome murder a few weeks prior. During a session with one of the investigators, Anthony seemingly confessed to the murder but recanted it soon after. Furthermore, his confession contained information that contradicted the case facts. Despite that, in March 1999, Anthony was convicted of murder, and since he was a juvenile, he was sentenced to remain behind bars until his 21st birthday.

Image Credit: ABC News/YouTube

But in June 2000, the Fifth District Ohio Appellate Court dismissed Anthony’s conviction. At the time, the court found that the confession was coerced. Furthermore, it didn’t line up with what actually happened, and the information that did line up was fed to Anthony by the investigators. He was released from custody the same month after spending close to two years behind bars.

Then, in 2003, Anthony filed a wrongful conviction suit against the prosecutor Amanda Spies, Tuscarawas County, and the police departments of New Philadelphia and Millersburg (all located in Ohio). The investigation revealed this time around that specific evidence was not turned over to the defense — this included information pointing to other potential suspects. While Amanda’s part of the lawsuit was dismissed initially, the New Philadelphia and Millersburg police departments settled out of court for $1.5 million.

But in January 2008, an appeals court ruled that Amanda could be held liable for what happened. Anthony and his team alleged that Amanda arrested him without probable cause and later interfered with his US Marines application. In 2004, Anthony applied to join the US Marine Corps. When a Marine spoke to Amanda regarding the case, she reportedly told him that Anthony would always remain a suspect in the case.

Where is Anthony Harris Now?

Image Credit: ABC News/YouTube

Ultimately, the lawsuit against Amanda and Tuscarawas County was settled out of court for $2.2 million in October 2008. This ended the lengthy battle that Anthony waged against the system for the injustice he faced. While the Marine Corps initially rejected Anthony’s application, he was later accepted. By the time the lawsuit was settled, he had already toured Iraq once. As of 2009, Anthony was a lance corporal. He has largely chosen to stay away from the spotlight and rarely spoke about his case. But on the show, Anthony talked about why he confessed and the tremendous psychological damage his ordeal entailed. From what we can tell, Anthony’s last known location is Ohio.

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