Viswa Vanapalli
When investigators began looking into 12-year-old Anthony Harris as a potential suspect in the gruesome murder of his 5-year-old neighbor, his mother was understandably worried. But Cynthia Harris could only watch as her young son was taken into custody despite recanting his confession and making it very well known that he was nervous throughout his interrogation. ABC News’ ‘20/20: Gone Before The Storm’ focuses on the story behind his wrongful conviction and the ordeal his family had to go through after that. But through it all, single mother Cyndi stood behind her son, always believing in his innocence.
Cyndi Harris Always Believed in Her Son’s Innocence
A day after she went missing, 5-year-old Devan Duniver was found murdered on June 28, 1998. At the time, the Harris family lived in the same apartment building as the Dunivers in New Philadelphia, Ohio. They were thus questioned in the days that followed, only for Anthony to provide conflicting statements regarding his whereabouts on the fateful day. On July 2, 1998, they visited the Harris home and mentioned wanting Anthony and his brother, Michael, to come down to the station to look at a few photos.
But while Cyndi went to get her car keys, the officer asked Anthony to hop on in his car. By the time Cyndi got out, they had already left and he was questioned without any adult or guardian present. On July 15, 1998, Cyndi was called to the police station with her sons and was told that they would undergo a voice stress test. Anthony was taken into an interview room first, but when his mother said she wanted to be in there, she was told it was important for him to be alone with the interrogator.
Instead, Cyndi was seated in an adjacent room with a mirror that allowed her to see what was going on. While the officers indicated she could hear the interview as well, that was not the case. During the session, Anthony hesitantly confessed to the murder, but most of his statements weren’t consistent with the facts known at the time. Eventually, he asked to speak with Cyndi. At that time, Anthony recanted his confession, and when Cyndi questioned him repeatedly, he denied his involvement and said he was just scared. Soon after that, Cyndi asked for a lawyer – she had realized something was not right, yet she never expected that her son would almost immediately be arrested on the charge of murder.
Cyndi Harris Fought For Her Son Before Moving Forward
In March 1999, despite no physical evidence tying Anthony to the murder, he was convicted of killing Devan in a bench trial. Nevertheless, Cyndi was steadfast in the belief that her son was innocent and felt any sentence was unfair. She was ultimately proven right when Anthony’s conviction was overturned in 2000, with the court finding his confession was coerced. She had initially indicated that the family simply wished to put this whole ordeal behind them, yet upon careful consideration, in 2003, the Harris family did file a civil wrongful conviction lawsuit against the city, prosecutors, as well as specific investigators.
In the end, as investigations for that lawsuit, revealed that officials had honed in on Anthony without any evidence and that there was actually evidence pointing to other suspects, the Harris’ won. While the cities of New Philadelphia and Millersburg settled the suit for $1.5 million in February 2005, the prosecutor and Tuscarawas County settled the lawsuit for $2.2 million in 2008. Since then, it appears as if Cyndi has preferred to just focus on her family’s well-being as well as her career – she is a spiritual transformation leader as well as an author based in Boca Raton, Florida. This sacred femininity and wisdom coach has actually penned ‘Creating Sacred Space: The Art of Living a Peaceful & Abundant Life’ plus the ‘Goddess Guidance Series.’
Read More: Where is Lori Duniver Now?
