PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A grand jury is recommending charges against three former Philadelphia homicide detectives for making false statements in the investigation, interrogation and wrongful conviction of a man who was imprisoned for 25 years for a crime he did not commit.
The case dates back to 1991, when 77-year-old Louise Talley was raped and murdered.
Anthony Wright, who was 20 years old at the time, was charged and ultimately convicted in ’93 for her death.
However, in a 2016 retrial, he was acquitted. DNA evidence proved his innocence and also identified the actual perpetrator, Ronnie Byrd.
The city ended up paying Wright $10 million for his wrongful conviction.
Now, a grand jury is recommending the three retired homicide detectives on the case — Manuel Santiago, Martin Devlin and Frank Jastrzembski — be charged with purgery and making false statements in and out of court.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said his office will follow the recommendations.
“After hearing testimony from key witnesses and reviewing evidence, the grand jury recommended that Santiago, Devlin and Jastrzembski be held accountable for lying under oath to convict an innocent man, and for covering up their wrongdoing and for perverting the integrity of law,” he said.
Krasner said the grand jury also found that Santiago and Devlin deployed unlawful tactics to coerce Wright into signing a false confession.