PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — District Attorney Larry Krasner is the city’s chief prosecutor, but he sat in the witness stand for the defense on Wednesday. Krasner testified in a right-to-know request from one of his former employees.
A former assistant DA for the city, Beth McCaffrey, filed the request seven years ago, after Krasner’s office sought to withdraw homicide charges against a defendant named Dontia Patterson. McCaffery prosecuted Patterson in his first trial, which ended in a hung jury.
Patterson was convicted at his second trial. However, Krasner’s Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) alleged there had been prosecutorial misconduct, and Patterson was freed.
McCaffery’s lawyers are trying to get access to the trial file, believing there’s evidence that proves McCaffery did not commit misconduct, and thus, she’s been libeled by the charge.
Through several hours of testimony, Krasner insisted his office had turned over all relevant documents. He also claimed he had never accused McCaffery of prosecutorial misconduct — even though accounts of the case, emanating from his office, alleged McCaffery withheld evidence from the defense.
Krasner deferred some questions to the former head of the CIU, Patricia Cummings, but McCaffrey’s lawyers said Cummings is refusing to testify.