A Black man whose 1992 homicide conviction was overturned in 2017 was convicted of third-degree homicide final week. The sufferer was 38-year-old Akeem Edwards, who was killed final yr.
Shaurn Thomas was in the end launched from jail and paid $4.1 million by the town of Philadelphia after serving 24 years for a homicide he stated he didn’t commit. However on Thursday (Dec. 5), he admitted to killing Edwards over a $1,200 drug debt.
Thomas pleaded responsible to third-degree homicide and weapons offenses. He’s now 50 years of age and can spend the remainder of his life in jail though he has already spent half of his life there.
In accordance with the Philadelphia Inquirer, a jury convicted Thomas of second-degree homicide for the 1990 theft and taking pictures dying of a businessman in North Philadelphia. For that crime, he wound up being sentenced to life in jail.
In 2017, his conviction was vacated by a decide on enchantment after paperwork revealed that detectives knew Thomas had a attainable alibi however didn’t try to corroborate it.
Authorities centered on Thomas primarily based on statements made by two alleged coconspirators, who later recanted their testimony.
Thomas met Edwards by means of his girlfriend, Ketra Veasy, whose brother was additionally wrongly imprisoned. Edwards allegedly took cocaine value $1,200 from Thomas to promote however didn’t pay him the cash.
On Jan. 3, 2023, Thomas and Veasy drove round Philadelphia operating errands when Thomas recommend they go to Edwards’ neighborhood to trace down the cash that was allegedly owed to him. After Thomas discovered and shot Edwards, the pair drove away.
After Edwards’ dying, a federal informant instructed Philadelphia murder detectives he had details about the case. The informant claimed Thomas talked in regards to the killing with him and stated Veasy was there. He additionally stated that Thomas had put out successful on Veasy as a result of he was nervous that she may cooperate with police.
The pair had been arrested a number of months later and charged with homicide. Veasy labored with investigators and testified in opposition to Thomas in trade for lesser prices. Final yr, she pleaded responsible to aggravated assault and conspiracy.
Veasy remains to be awaiting sentencing whereas Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced in February.