PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The trial has started against a former Philadelphia homicide detective accused of sexually assaulting witnesses and informants, as lawyers presented opening statements and interviewed a witness on Monday at the Criminal Justice Center in Center City.
Prosecutors say Philip Nordo used his position as a detective to assault and control three men who were either informants or witnesses in homicide investigations. The three men are not linked.
According to prosecutors, the first man was given a $20,000 reward in cash for information on the murder of police officer Moses Walker, Jr., who was killed in August 2012. They said Nordo was grooming the man and submitted the reward paperwork on his behalf, even though they said four other women were instrumental in identifying the suspects.
They explained that in return, Nordo coaxed the man to a hotel where, the man said, Nordo sexually assaulted him and threatened to take the reward money back.
Prosecutors said the second man is a former corrections officer who witnessed a shooting at North Broad and Parrish streets, and that is how he met Nordo. They said the man-made statements about the shooting, and then began to recant out of fear. Prosecutors say that is when Nordo stepped in to become friendly with the man, who eventually retired from working at the prison because of a mental health struggle.
Prosecutors allege Nordo tried to force himself on the man in a car, putting his hands down his pants, but he jumped out of Nordo’s car.
The third man was an informant whom, prosecutors say, Nordo tried to get close to during an investigation, and eventually kissed & grabbed at the man in the elevator at the Police Administration Building “Roundhouse.”
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Defense attorney Michael van der Veen, who was former President Donald Trump’s attorney during his second impeachment trial in February 2021, called this a “created case” by prosecutors with a “progressive agenda.” The judge admonished him, saying there will be no politics in the courtroom.
The defense called the prosecution’s case nonsense created by “criminals, liars, and thieves.” They outlined Nordo as a native Northeast Philadelphia father of two who was class president at Archbishop Ryan High School. The defense said Nordo was handpicked to be part of the homicide task force after spending about 10 years on the force, first as a patrol officer, and eventually rising to the homicide unit. He started his career as a SEPTA Transit Police officer.
The defense says what made Nordo successful was building trust with those he met during investigations, and that he collected more than 2,000 contacts whom he would call and text about various investigations.
The defense said the Philadelphia District Attorney carefully crafted a case against Nordo, dropping charges for some involved and giving immunity to others.
They said there was no physical evidence, no photos, videos, or eyewitnesses linking Nordo to a crime.
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The defense went through each of the three alleged victims’ stories.
They said the first man involved with the Moses Walker, Jr. case identified his cousin as one of the defendants, and they say prosecutors pressured him into claiming Nordo assaulted him.
They said the second man, the former corrections officer, told a story to Nordo about how 10 of his fellow colleagues physically and sexually assaulted him in the parking lot of a prison, and that the officer and Nordo would speak regularly, but nothing happened between the two of them.
The defense said the third man was tracked by prosecutors because Nordo put $25 into his account. They said it would be normal activity for Nordo to give cash to informants once in a while.
The defense added that the man eventually was locked up for something else and would constantly call Nordo from prison, not the other way around, and that nothing happened in that elevator at the Police Administration Building roundhouse.
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The first witness to testify in the case was a police officer who was on patrol in the 22nd District when officer Walker was killed and had driven a few witnesses and informants to the homicide unit, including the first alleged victim.
The case, which is expected to last about a month, will include testimony from people throughout the court system including investigators, detectives, criminal defense attorneys, informants, the accusers themselves, and possibly a retired judge.
Courts closed at around 2:30 p.m. Monday because of the threat of severe weather.
Nordo, 55, faces 11 charges, including rape, sexual assault, stalking, and theft. The District Attorney's Office dropped 24 charges against Nordo in recent days. He had been charged with 35 counts more than three years ago.
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