Sean Ellis Was Wrongfully Convicted Of Murder, But Ended Up Exposing Police Corruption
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Netflix's new true crime documentary series, Trial 4, tells the story of Sean Ellis.
Ellis was wrongfully convicted of murder and imprisoned for 22 years in Boston.
Here's an update on where Sean Ellis is now and if he ever received a settlement.
Netlix's latest true crime documentary series, Trial 4, follows the story of Sean K. Ellis who was wrongfully charged as a teen in the 1993 killing of Boston detective John Mulligan. The docuseries chronicles his 22-year journey in prison as he fights to prove his innocence while exposing police corruption and systemic racism.
The murder took place around three a.m. on September 26, 1993 when Mulligan was shot five times in the face while asleep in his patrol car in a Walgreen's parking lot. Police initially had no suspects for the crime. Three days later, on September 29, then-19-year-old Ellis' cousins, Celine Kirk and Tracy Brown, were murdered.
At the time, Ellis was questioned by police because his ID was found in his cousins' apartment. There was also a package of diapers, which Ellis said he had purchased at the same Walgreen's where Mulligan was killed.
Ellis was arrested on October 6, 1993, on charges of first-degree murder, armed robbery, and two counts of illegal possession of a firearm, according to the National Registry of Exonerations. After two mistrials, Ellis was convicted and sentenced to life in prison on January 4, 1995.
Where is Sean K. Ellis now?
In 2015, Ellis was released on bail after a judge ordered a new trial based on the fact that the corruption of the officers who’d investigated Mulligan's case raised questions about the fairness of Ellis's conviction, according to Boston's GBH News.
In Trial 4, the documentary cameras followed Ellis as he prepared for his fourth trial that was scheduled for October 2018. But that year, the District Attorney dropped all charges against him without the trial even happening, Boston.com reported.
Since his 2015 release, Ellis has been transitioning back into civilian life. He is now a criminal justice speaker, according to the Justice for Sean Ellis website. Ellis also currently works as a Development Associate at a Boston nonprofit called Community Servings that prepares and delivers meals to ill and elderly Bostonians. As for his personal life, Ellis is set to marry a colleague in 2021, according to Esquire.
Did Sean K. Ellis ever receive a settlement?
Unfortunately, no. Ellis has not received any sort of compensation or settlement for his years behind bars, per an Esquire inquiry. The publication reached out to Ellis' lawyer to see if he had any plans to sue the Boston police department, but did not receive a response.
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