During his 30 years in prison, Michael Sullivan’s life underwent a dramatic transformation. His mother and four siblings passed away, and his first love moved on with her life, all because of a murder he never committed…
Michael Sullivan
Just after midnight on March 8, 1986, someone discovered the body of Wilfred McGrath behind an abandoned supermarket. McGrath’s death was gruesome; his body was wrapped in a blanket, his feet bound with electrical wire, and it was evident he had been brutally beaten. 
The police quickly zeroed in on a suspect, Gary Grace. Grace soon made a deal with the police, claiming he could provide information about the main perpetrator in exchange for a lighter sentence. The person he named was Sullivan.
Upon investigation, the police found that Sullivan’s sister had been out with McGrath the night before the murder and returned to Sullivan’s apartment with him, giving Sullivan both motive and opportunity.
Grace’s testimony also stated that the injuries on McGrath were inflicted by Sullivan, who had stomped on the victim’s head multiple times.
Grace mentioned that Sullivan was wearing a purple jacket during the crime. Later, a police officer testified that they found this jacket and discovered blood on its cuffs, along with a hair that wasn’t Sullivan’s but belonged to McGrath.
Michael Sullivan
The police insisted Sullivan was guilty of the murder: “Hey, if he didn’t do it, why would there be blood on both cuffs of his jacket?”
With both eyewitness and physical evidence, Sullivan was convicted of murder and armed robbery in 1987, receiving a life sentence. As for Grace, who implicated him, he was sentenced to only six years.
Sullivan vehemently denied the charges, crying out his innocence along with his family, but his cries went unheard, and he was sent to prison.
The nearly 30 years of imprisonment were like a nightmare for Sullivan. He was often bullied by other inmates, with incidents including his nose nearly being bitten off and another where an inmate almost bit off his ear.
His childhood sweetheart, whom he met at the age of 12, waited for him for 10 years, but eventually, she had to move on with her life.
Sullivan said, “This experience was incredibly tough, especially when you know you’re innocent…”
Sullivan and his dog Buddy
It wasn’t until 2011 that Sullivan’s fate took a significant turn.
Throughout his time in prison, he and his lawyer never gave up on proving his innocence. Finally, in 2011, his lawyer persuaded the court to conduct a DNA test on the crucial piece of evidence – the purple jacket. The results showed no blood on the jacket, and there was no DNA from McGrath, including the hair.
Sullivan and his lawyer finally found their breakthrough. The initial police claim that the blood on the jacket’s cuffs proved Sullivan had beaten the victim was now disproven, indicating the police had falsified evidence, and Sullivan was innocent.
With his lawyer’s efforts, in 2012, the court ordered a retrial for Sullivan’s case, and he was released in 2013 after 26 years in prison.
He was then confined to his home with an electronic monitoring bracelet for six months. By the time he breathed fresh air again, it was 2014.
Sullivan standing outside his apartment with his dog Buddy
Also in that year, the Supreme Court declared Sullivan innocent. In 2019, the court decided not to retry Sullivan’s case due to the passage of 30 years, with some witnesses deceased and others too old to recall events clearly, making a retrial impossible. Thus, the case ended with Sullivan’s exoneration.
Sullivan was ecstatic about his exoneration, but he was also afraid to return to society, having spent half his life in prison, feeling out of touch with the outside world.
Since he was sentenced to life, he received no training for life after prison, and upon release, he could only continue to get by.
Before his arrest, he worked in a peanut factory, planning to save some money and work for relatives as a truck driver. Now, older and unable to use computers, he can hardly find any work, doing odd jobs for family members, helping with laundry, just as he served other inmates in prison.
Currently, Sullivan lives with his sister, along with his Yorkshire Terrier and her pigeons.
“I haven’t really adapted to the outside world,” Sullivan says, “I’m afraid to go anywhere… I am a lonely man.”
Sullivan tending to his sister’s pigeons
Sullivan’s sister is furious about what her brother went through. She says the family never believed he was guilty. They all attended the trial and stood by Sullivan, visiting him twice a week during his imprisonment. They watched as he lost his life, never having children or marrying like others.
“Without me, my brother would be homeless on the streets.”
At the beginning of this month, a Massachusetts jury finally ruled Sullivan innocent and eligible for compensation from the state government. (The 2019 decision not to retry was by the Supreme Court, whereas this ruling is by the local court.)
Sullivan’s family and lawyer
Sullivan has not received any psychological treatment to compensate for his suffering, but his lawyer has indicated that as part of the judgment, they will request the court to provide medical and educational services for Sullivan.
In addition, he was awarded $13 million in compensation, though state law caps wrongful conviction compensation at $1 million. In other words, Sullivan’s lost life is worth $13 million, but he will only receive $1 million in compensation.
Of course, this is still a significant sum for Sullivan.
In an interview, he mentioned buying himself a new truck, fulfilling a childhood dream. As for the remaining money, he plans to save most of it to ensure his nieces and nephews have what they need when they turn 21.
“They’ll have a lot of money, which is what I hope for,” he said. “My life’s most important thing now is my nieces and nephews; I want to take care of them.”
