PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia police detective has been arrested and is being charged by the District Attorney's office for allegedly lying about his actions during a homicide investigation.
This stems from the case of Obina Onyiah, a man who was exonerated after spending more than a decade in prison.
Philadelphia Police Detective James Pitts turned himself in Thursday, as he faces perjury and obstruction charges.
The charges are based on a recommendation of a grand jury indictment, the District Attorney's Office said.
Pitts faces charges stemming from the murder investigation of jeweler William Glatz.
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"He was lying about his own violent interrogation of a man named Obina Onyiah in 2010. He was lying in his false trial testimony about that same homicide matter in 2013," District Attorney Larry Krasner said.
Onyiah was a suspect in the homicide, and was convicted in 2013.
Krasner said he ended up serving 11 years before he was exonerated in May. Michael Garmisa with the DA's Conviction Integrity Unit said Onyiah was sent to jail, based on a confession that Pitts took.
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Onyiah claimed the detective was allegedly violent during interrogation.
The police department said Pitts has been suspended without pay for 30-days, with the intent to dismiss.
The Fraternal Order of Police said they will be representing Pitts and provide appropriate defense against the allegations.
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