Innocent man accused of murder was jailed — forcing family into homelessness, suit says
For nearly two years, Marquis Parrish was jailed in Georgia for a man’s murder he didn’t commit, according to a new federal lawsuit.
Now he’s suing those he says are responsible for putting him behind bars — leaving his wife and children homeless.
In May 2021, Parrish was arrested and charged with the murder of Charles Vinson, who was found dead with gunshot wounds in Savannah five days after he was reported missing on April 27, 2021, the lawsuit says.
The state dropped charges against Parrish on June 16 and he was released after insisting his innocence while incarcerated, a complaint says.
A now-fired Savannah police officer, Ashley Wood, the lead detective who investigated Vinson’s death, accused Parrish of killing Vinson and said he was at Walmart buying cleaning supplies with three other suspects in connection with the murder, according to a complaint. The complaint also says she suppressed evidence that could’ve proven Parrish was innocent.
In April, when state prosecutors reviewed the Walmart surveillance footage, they confirmed Parrish “was not at Walmart as claimed by Detective Wood,” the complaint says.
As the result of an internal affairs investigation, which began March 31, the Savannah Police Department fired Wood, who was accused of fabricating information in relation to the investigation of Vinson’s murder, the Savannah Morning News reported July 25.
While Parrish was in jail, his wife, Tyesha Love, was pregnant with their fifth child and gave birth without him there, leaving the family struggling in his absence, according to the complaint,.
“During his incarceration, (he) missed the birth of his youngest child, his business was forced to close, and without Mr. Parrish’s income, his wife and five children were forced into homelessness,” John B. Manly, an attorney representing the case, wrote in a letter to Savannah city officials attached to the complaint.
Parrish and Love filed their lawsuit against Wood, Savannah Mayor Van R. Johnson and city council members, seeking $10 million in damages.
R. Bates Lovett, Savannah’s city attorney, told McClatchy News on Sept. 29 that local federal rules prevent city officials from commenting on the lawsuit.
McClatchy News also contacted the Savannah Police Department for comment on Sept. 29 and didn’t receive an immediate response.
While speaking with WTOC-TV about the lawsuit, Parrish said “an innocent man doesn’t have nothing to hide, so he will go all the way with it.”
“I’m going all the way with it,” he said.
A flawed murder investigation
On June 2, 2021, the Savannah Police Department announced in a statement that its detectives charged four people, including Parrish, in connection with the death of 23-year-old Charles Vinson. The outcome of the cases against the other suspects are unclear. Court records show two of the cases were closed this year, while one is still open.
According to the lawsuit, the Walmart surveillance video was considered key evidence leading to Parrish’s arrest and indictment in July 2021.
“Wood was the only witness before the grand jury and every count of the indictment was based solely on her testimony,” the complaint says.
Before state prosecutors viewed the Walmart video in April, Wood “withheld the (video) which did not show plaintiff Parrish participating in the purchase of cleaning supplies used in connection with the murder of Mr. Vinson,” the complaint says.
By withholding the footage, Wood “concealed the fact that there was no evidence linking plaintiff Parrish to Mr. Vinson’s murder,” according to the complaint.
Wood is also accused of hiding DNA and ballistic evidence — preventing it from being tested — which could have proven Parrish’s innocence, the complaint says.
The lawsuit accuses the Savannah Police Department of allowing its officers to alter or suppress evidence in criminal cases, and this practice violated Parrish’s constitutional rights.
As Parrish was in jail, Love “gave birth without the benefit of having (him) attend the birth” and was forced to go into hiding with their children due to “dangers associated with his arrest and incarceration,” the complaint says.
In dropping the charges against Parrish on June 16, Brian DeBlasiis, assistant district attorney of the Eastern Judicial Circuit, wrote the interview Parrish gave after his release from jail helped prove his innocence, according to a motion attached to the complaint as an exhibit.
“The state believes that (Parrish) was truthful and, as a result, does not believe it can prove the charges against him beyond a reasonable doubt,” the motion says.
Although his innocence has been officially declared by state prosecutors, “there is no amount of money that can give Mr. Parrish the two years of his life back,” Manley wrote in the letter attached to the complaint.
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