Trial of three retired Philadelphia detectives accused of lying about evidence in a homicide case that later led to an exoneration concluded with a mixed verdict. Martin Devlin was acquitted of all charges, while Frank Jastrzembski was acquitted of most counts but convicted of one, and Manuel Santiago was acquitted of some charges but convicted of others. The trial was unusual as few public officials face charges related to innocence cases. The detectives were retired when a 1991 homicide case was retried in 2016, leading to perjury charges. District Attorney Larry Krasner filed charges just before the statute of limitations expired. The case involved a 1991 rape and murder case that resulted in a wrongful conviction, later overturned by DNA evidence. The key issue was the confession, which was disputed by the defendant. The retrial ended in an acquittal for the defendant. The detectives were accused of lying about the confession and DNA evidence. The detectives, now in their 70s and 80s, faced charges related to their testimony during the retrial. Jastrzembski was acquitted of most counts but convicted on one related to prior knowledge of DNA results. Santiago was acquitted of some counts but convicted on others related to the 1991 interrogation and DNA results. Devlin was acquitted of some perjury charges.
The defense argued that Krasner’s office had influenced the grand jury by suggesting that the detectives had a history of dishonesty and coercion. However, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has declined to consider pretrial appeals on this issue. Perri expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict and stated plans to appeal, citing confusion in the testimony of Jastrzembski and Santiago regarding the DNA evidence at the time. Krasner, in a press conference, refrained from commenting on the defendants or specific details due to the ongoing case, but emphasized the importance of the guilty verdicts as a message to law enforcement to respect the evidence. The convicted detectives are scheduled for sentencing in June.
