PHILADELPHIA (July 3, 2024) — “This week, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that ex-Philadelphia Police Detective Robert Redanauer’s case must be sent back to the Court of Common Pleas for prosecution. I applaud this important and just decision.
“My office’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) had charged Robert Redanauer in April 2021 with Simple Assault, Terroristic Threats, Reckless Endangerment, and Possession of an Instrument of Crime, after he threatened two people, one of whom was a 16-year-old, with a handgun inside a residence. During a preliminary hearing in July of that year, Judge James Murray Lynn, now retired, accepted a bizarre argument presented by defendant’s counsel that the preliminary hearing was actually a trial. Judge Lynne then retroactively declared Redanauer not guilty despite compelling testimony from one of the witnesses who had described the terror the defendant had inflicted upon them.
“We cannot tolerate a justice system that operates unequally, like a caste system. I’m grateful that the Pa. Supreme Court roundly rejected this. I’m also grateful to Assistant District Attorney Joshua Goldwert of the DAO’s Law Division for securing this victory in the state’s highest court. My administration fully intends to bring this case back for a preliminary hearing soon and pursue evenhanded justice, just as we do in all cases.”
CONTACT:
Dustin Slaughter, [email protected]
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The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutor’s office in Pennsylvania, and one of the largest in the nation. It serves the more than 1.5 million residents of the City and County of Philadelphia, employing 600 lawyers, detectives, and support staff. The District Attorney’s Office is responsible for the prosecution of approximately 40,000 criminal cases annually. Learn more about the DAO by visiting PhillyDA.org.