In an unusual legal proceeding in Philadelphia, the trial of three former detectives, accused of fabricating evidence in a decades-old murder case, concluded with varied outcomes Thursday.
Martin Devlin was fully acquitted, while Frank Jastrzembski avoided conviction on all but one charge, and Manuel Santiago was found guilty on two counts, despite being cleared of others.
This case stands out because it is rare for public officials to face criminal charges due to their actions in wrongful conviction cases. The detectives, long since retired, were thrust back into the spotlight during a retrial in 2016 of a 1991 murder case.
They had been called back to testify, which triggered a new possibility of perjury charges being filed within a five-year window. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner charged them in 2021, just before the expiration of the statute of limitations.
The unsolved case involved the brutal rape and murder of an elderly widow, seemingly during a break-in. Then 20-year-old Anthony Wright was initially convicted, spending 25 years in prison until DNA evidence pointed to another culprit. Despite his conviction being overturned, Krasner’s predecessor opted to retry him.
The centerpiece of the prosecution was a confession from Wright, which his defense argued was coerced, a claim denied by police. During the retrial, doubt was cast on Devlin’s ability to accurately document the confession verbatim.
Wright, who had education up to the seventh grade, testified about being pressured into signing a confession while restrained at the police station. Though he knew the victim, Louise Talley, through family connections, he denied any involvement in her death. Another jury eventually acquitted him, securing his release after 25 years.
Throughout the current proceedings, Wright was heavily questioned about his actions on the night of the crime and his subsequent claims against the officers. The defense team also probed deeply into initial trial witness statements that seemed to point to Wright as guilty.
“Just because Tony Wright got away with murder, it doesn’t mean these men weren’t telling the truth,” argued Santiago’s lawyer, Fortunato Perri Jr.
Krasner, who has focused on holding police accountable since taking office, has overseen about 50 other exonerations. However, he pursued charges against these detectives for alleged false statements, ranging from denials of DNA discrepancies to claims about evidence in Wright’s room.
Jastrzembski, now 77, was cleared of multiple perjury and false swearing allegations, except for a count of false swearing at the 2016 retrial about DNA results. Santiago, aged 75, was cleared from accusations related to Wright’s interrogation but convicted on perjury linked to the DNA evidence.
Criticism from the defense included accusations that Krasner’s office had biased the grand jury by asserting the detectives frequently committed perjury and coerced confessions. Although, pretrial appeals to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court were dismissed.
Post-trial, Perri expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict inconsistencies and plans to appeal, urging that Jastrzembski’s and Santiago’s confusion about DNA evidence was evident.
While addressing the press, Krasner refrained from commenting on specific matters due to ongoing proceedings, with sentencing set for June. He emphasized the necessity for law enforcement to trust the integrity of the evidence.