Michigan father files lawsuit after being wrongfully convicted: 'They treated me unfairly'

Behind bars, Michael Griffin was cruelly dubbed Baby Killer. The moniker haunted him for years as he served a life sentence for the death of his infant daughter, a tragedy he has always insisted was an accident. Griffin claims his daughter fell from a baby swing at their Flint, Michigan home and later died due to complications from surgery, not from abuse.

According to Griffin, police ignored his account and pressured him to admit wrongdoing. They said, 'Tell us what you did or the doctors wont help your daughter,' Griffin recalled, describing a three-hour interrogation while his daughter fought for her life.

At 19, Griffin faced murder charges, was convicted, and sent to prison. For 14 years he maintained his innocence, enduring taunts and threats behind prison walls. In 2023, medical evidence proved his daughters death resulted from a failed surgery, leading to his exoneration with the help of the Michigan Innocence Clinic and attorney Mike Morse.

Now free, Griffin has filed a lawsuit alleging that police, hospital staff, and forensic officials conspired to fabricate a case against him, covering up errors and coercing false confessions. The suit claims investigators falsely portrayed the incident as child abuse and manipulated medical records to fit their theory.

Griffins attorney, Adam Akeel, stated, Desperate measures were taken to ensure Michael would be blamed for his daughters death. The lawsuit targets the city of Flint, Genesee County, several police officers, doctors, and medical examiners.

The Events of That Day

On September 30, 2009, Griffins daughter, Naviah, was placed in a motorized infant swing while her mother went to a corner store. Griffin said he heard a thump and found her face down on the hardwood floor. He tried to help, but Naviah stopped breathing. A security guard performed CPR before paramedics transported her to Hurley Medical Center.

At the hospital, a CT scan revealed a small brain bleed and a benign cystic hygroma, indicating a prior injury vulnerable to reinjury. Despite the lack of evidence of abuse, the medical examiner initially listed the cause of death as Blunt Force Injury of the Head and later amended it to Abusive Head Injury during the trial. Critical details about the babys fall and prior injuries were not presented to the jury.

Griffins interrogation was reportedly videotaped, but the tape has never surfaced. Hospital and medical examiner reports contained inconsistencies, and investigators allegedly misrepresented the mothers statements in reports and to jurors.

Trial and Conviction

During his trial, Griffin testified about his innocence and the events leading to Naviahs fall. The prosecution relied on misleading statements from the interrogation and medical testimony suggesting abuse. His mother, Kalesha Journeay, and other witnesses testified about his care for the baby, but the jury convicted him of murder and first-degree child abuse.

The Michigan Innocence Clinic and Mike Morse later demonstrated that Griffins court-appointed attorney failed to provide expert witnesses, while the prosecution presented seven. This, along with new medical insights into infant head injuries, led to Griffins release and the dismissal of all charges in 2023.

Life After Exoneration

Since regaining his freedom, Griffin has rebuilt his life. He runs a cleaning business, remarried, and welcomed a son, Nash. He received $435,000 in compensation from the state, though he says it was less than the full amount initially calculated.

Griffin is now pursuing a civil lawsuit seeking accountability for the wrongful conviction that cost him 14 years of his life. I just kept saying, 'I didnt do it.' I believed the hospitals did something, the cops covered stuff up, he said, determined to uncover the truth behind his daughters death.

Griffins exoneration has reopened a painful chapter for Naviahs mother, Alecia Patton, who still mourns her child and struggles with unresolved questions. She maintains that something happened at the house that led to Naviahs hospitalization, though she disputes the claim that a surgical error caused her death.

Griffin continues to fight for justice and transparency, hoping his lawsuit will expose the mistakes and misconduct that led to his wrongful imprisonment.

Author: Sophia Brooks