Three former detectives from Philadelphia, now retired, found themselves at the center of a courtroom drama on Tuesday as they faced a perjury trial. The unusual case examines the potential culpability of police for alleged misconduct in exoneration cases. Despite their advanced age, ranging from 75 to 80 years old, these individuals may serve prison sentences if found guilty.
The trial emerged after the detectives voluntarily returned from retirement in 2016 to testify in the retrial of a murder case from 1991, involving an elderly woman. This retrial effectively reset the five-year statute of limitations for any potential perjury charges.
Defense attorney Brian McMonagle expressed to the jury, “They didn’t have to come back. They came back for Louise Talley,” referring to the 77-year-old murder victim.
In a controversial move, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner charged the former detectives—Martin Devlin, Manuel Santiago, and Frank Jastrzembski—shortly before the statute of limitations expired in 2021. Krasner, known for his previous litigation against police as a civil rights lawyer, pursued these charges as part of his broader agenda of police accountability.
The case itself harks back to a tragic incident in the early 1990s when Talley, a widow living in a neighborhood ravaged by the crack cocaine crisis, was raped and fatally stabbed. Anthony Wright, a 20-year-old neighbor, was subsequently convicted and served 25 years in prison. This conviction was later overturned due to DNA evidence that exonerated Wright, yet Krasner’s predecessor opted to retry him regardless.
“That case was remarkable,” commented Maurice Possley from The National Registry of Exonerations, on the 2016 retrial. Despite DNA evidence excluding Wright, the prosecution pressed on.
Central to the retrial was Wright’s confession, which his attorneys claimed was coerced under duress from the detectives, a claim the detectives denied. However, during the retrial, Detective Devlin was unable to replicate Wright’s nine-page confession in real time, casting doubt on its authenticity. The jury ultimately acquitted Wright.
In Tuesday’s proceedings, prosecutors accused the detectives of severe coercion, stating that they handcuffed Wright and threatened him.
“So Mr. Wright signed everywhere they told him to,” asserted Assistant District Attorney Brian Collins.
Conversely, McMonagle presented statements from witnesses placing Wright at the scene during a drug-fueled night, supporting the initial police theory.
“Cocaine was transforming men into monsters, including Anthony Wright,” McMonagle argued, reinforcing the initial narrative of the detection.
Significantly, Wright has since received a nearly $10 million settlement from the city, and he is expected to testify during the week’s proceedings.
Since becoming District Attorney in 2018, Krasner has been a staunch advocate for police accountability, overseeing numerous exonerations. His decision to arrest the former detectives in August 2021 was part of this broader mission.
The defense contends that Krasner’s office unjustly vilified the detectives during the grand jury process. However, appeals to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to intervene have been unsuccessful.
The trial focuses on the alleged lies of Santiago, 75, and Devlin, 80, regarding the confession, and Jastrzembski, 77, regarding the discovered evidence. Santiago and Jastrzembski are also accused of concealing issues with DNA evidence. If convicted of perjury, a felony, they face up to seven years in prison, with additional charges of false swearing, a misdemeanor.
Throughout the trial, McMonagle sought to reconstruct the early 1990s environment, emphasizing Talley’s strong community ties and highlighting the neighborhood’s role in leading investigators to Wright.
The jury, delving into the murky past of this Philadelphia neighborhood, will closely scrutinize the days ahead as the trial continues throughout the week.
