Running head: THE CASE OF MICHAEL CROWE 1The case of Michael CroweFlorida Technical CollegeRunning head: THE CASE OF MICHAEL CROWE 2The case of Michael Crowe started when 12-year-old Stephanie Crowe was found dead in her bedroom between January 20, 1998, and January 21, 1998. The investigation of her death initially led to the arrest and indictment of Stephanie’s brother, Michael Crowe, and his two friends, Michael Treadway and Aaron Houser (collectively, "the boys"), all juveniles at the time. Before the boys' trial, potentially — exculpatory evidence was discovered which resulted in the District Attorney dropping the charges against the boys without prejudice. Currently, a man named Richard Tuite is on trial for Stephanie's murder (JOHN RHOADES, 2004). After being lied to about Stephanie's blood being found in his room and being interrogated for many hours over two days, Michael Crowe "confessed" to killing his sister. Treadway endured an overnight interrogation and another lasting nearly 10 hours that also featured lies by detectives. The boy, then 15, ultimately gave detectives a far-fetched story of how the stabbing plot supposedly went down (Sauer, 2012). In my opinion, this case showed an example of police corruption, they believed they were right without paying attention to the rest of the evidence. The officers interrogated 14-year-old Michael without the presence of his parents and without the presence of an attorney. They never admitted they were wrong. In 2004, more than six years after the Crowe family made their gruesome discovery, Richard Tuite was convicted by a jury of voluntary manslaughter. In addition to the blood found on his red sweatshirt, more blood was discovered at a state lab on the hem of the undershirt also worn by Tuite on the night of the killing (Sauer, 2012). I do believe the law enforcement actions crossed the line, they were so focused on trying to prove that was an "inside job" they never paid attention that they were interrogating a 14-year-old who just made a vague confession to get out of that room without even realizing of what he was saying, they made him lost 6 years of his life in prison. For a little boy to be blamed for the killing of his sister, knowing that the real killer is out there living their life, and the police who are supposed to be the "good guys" forcing Michael to confessed must have been really shockingto him. The Crowe family sued Escondido Police, county prosecutors, and others involved in the case and last October finally reached a settlement of $7.25 million dollars. They claimed Michael's constitutional rights against false arrest and imprisonment had been violated (Sauer, 2012). To me still not enough for what these officers made Michael and his friends go through. This is what happens in the real world, stubborn officers may put innocent people behind bars until someone notices that something is not quite right, until something happens that makes the case go in another direction.Running head: THE CASE OF MICHAEL CROWE 3ReferencesJOHN RHOADES, S. (2004, February 17). Crowe v. County of San Diego. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://casetext.com/case/crowe-v-county-of-san-diego-3Sauer, M. (2012, May 22). Michael Crowe FOUND 'Factually Innocent' In Sister's Murder. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from