Fight for Justice: The Nancy Conn Story

Fight For Justice The Nancy Conn Story

2012-01-15T17:04:00.000-08:00

The movie Fight For Justice The Nancy Conn Story premiered in 1995. It was advertised as a true life drama. Most of the real names were used in the movie.

The Abduction and Murder

2012-01-15T17:00:00.000-08:00

Timeline of the abduction of Nancy Conn and the murder of Charlotte Parks in Alabama
By Traciy Curry-Reyes

In 1971

Nancy Conn was a widow with two children. at the time that she, along with her cousin Charlotte Parks, were abducted from the parking lot of a bar.

June 1971

Co-ed Sandra Swisher disappears from the University of Alabama at Birmingham campus. Richard Ellard abducted and killed the Orlando, Florida native.

November 1971

Skeletal remains are found in a wooded area of Douglas County, Georgia. The body is identified by dental tests. The identity is that of Sandra DeeSwisher. Police received a tip on the location of her body.

September 1971

Ellard is charged with abduction of Nancy Conn and the murder of Charlotte Parks.

March 1972

He is indicted in the murder of UAB student Sandra Swisher.

April 1976

Richard is sentenced for the death of Sandra Swisher.

May 1972

Ellard changes his plea to guilty. He is sentenced to life in prison for the stabbing death of college co-ed Sandra Swisher.

April 1982

He is extradicted back to the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections. He was placed in Kilby Correctional Facility to finish his time. He is 36 years old.

Tidbits

Ellard has red hair , freckles, and blue eyes. He is described as very soft spoken

Two prison escapes and eight years later, Richard Mark Ellard was released by the Alabama Parole Board in 1981. There was a public outcry regarding his release. There was such a huge backlash that state department heads threatened to sue. It was decided that he would be returned to custody to serve out the rest of his sentence. At the time of his return to Alabama, Ellard had been transferred to the Georgia Department of Corrections to serve time for the murder of Sandra Swisher where he is until this day.

Richard Mark Ellard Case

2011-11-27T06:05:00.000-08:00

Richard Mark Ellard who kidnapped, assaulted, and shoved Nancy Conn Mcreary and her cousin Charlotte Parks into the trunk of the his car which was used as a makeshift gas chamber. Her cousin was brutally murdered and McCreary was beaten blind in one eye, supposedly drowned, stabbed, then thrown over a steep embankment and left for dead. Richard Ellard was released on parole after serving less than half of his sentence, and he continued to stalk Nancy Conn until he was caught again. McCreary has been the recipient of numerous plaques, awards, and certificates, and has appeared on Oprah Winfrey twice, a Geraldo Rivera special, Maury Povich, and the 700 Club twice, as well as four other talk shows in the northeast US. After articles recounting her victimization appeared in Woman's Day and Readers Digest, she was contacted by a producer in Los Angeles who wanted to produce a made-for-TV movie about the victimization and her transition from victim to survivor. The result was a movie titled Fight for Justice: The Nancy Conn Story. After being a widow for almost 28 years Mrs. McCreary married James McCreary in 1993. She is the mother of Gary Wayne Conn and Leisa Conn Daniel and the grandmother to two granddaughters and one grandson. Nancy Conn McCreary serves from the 2nd congressional district, but is a native of Birmingham, Alabama. She worked several years as a legal secretary in Birmingham prior to working in the Jefferson County District Attorney's office as the Victim Service Officer in 1985. Mrs. McCreary moved to Montgomery to serve as the State Victim Service Officer for then Attorney General Siegelman. She worked in that capacity from January 11, 1988 until February 1, 1999 when she transferred to the Board of Pardons and Paroles as Victim Service Officer. On May 4, 2000 Mrs. McCreary was appointed to serve on the Board by Governor Siegelman

Tidbits

Since the making of the movie. Nancy Conn Mcreary has been under fire for her votes to release two rapists here in Alabama. Many could not understand how a woman who had been violated and beaten herself could ever vote for the release of these type of offenders. Here is what one victim's advocate had to say about Conn in an interview: Miriam Sheehan, victim's advocate, says she lost her perspective years ago. I don't care how good they were in prison. I don't care if they will never do it again." Nancy defended herself in several interviews. She states: "you would not believe how thoroughly the files are researched and weighed very closely. The thing that disturbs me most is the fact that some victims feel like I have deserted them and that does concern me because I have not and will not. I remember so many years of criticizing the Board myself because I didn't know. But when you know what is in those files and all the evidence and things you have to weigh then you have a better understanding."

2009-05-01T04:41:00.001-07:00

The real Nancy Conn (Mcreary)

Richard Mark Ellard