PHILADELPHIA (February 11, 2025)—Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and members of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) announced on Tuesday the sentencing of former Philadelphia Police Homicide Detective James Pitts (DOB9/7/1970). A Philadelphia jury convicted Pitts of two felony counts of Perjury (F3) and three counts of Obstructing Administration of Law (M2) on July 16, 2024. These convictions are for his violent interrogation in 2010 of Obina Onyiah, an innocent man, who ultimately confessed to a murder he did not commit; and, for Pitts’ 2013 lies to a judge and then a jury with the intent to obstruct justice, which led to Onyiah’s wrongful conviction.
With the recommendation of prosecutors, Common Pleas Judge Anthony Kyriakakis sentenced Pitts to 32 to 64 months of state incarceration. This historic conviction and sentence mark the first time in nearly 50 years that Philadelphia law enforcement was held criminally accountable for perjury after physically coercing a confession from a suspect. On May 4, 2021, the Court of Common Pleas vacated Onyiah’s murder conviction and dismissed all charges against him after 11 years of incarceration with support from the District Attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU), making him the 20th individual exonerated under DA Krasner’s administration. Since taking office in 2018, the Krasner administration has exonerated 50 people.
Onyiah had been convicted of a gunpoint attempted robbery and murder of William Glatz, as one of two male perpetrators inside Glatz’s jewelry store on October 21, 2010. One perpetrator was killed during a shootout with Glatz, which also resulted in Glatz being fatally shot. The second perpetrator, described by surviving witnesses as “very slight of build” and 5’7” or 5’8”, escaped. Onyiah, who is 6’3”, was implicated by a jailhouse informant and subsequently gave a false confession to Detective Pitts.
Later, during post-conviction proceedings petitioned by Onyiah, the CIU’s investigation demonstrated the falseness of Onyiah’s confession and his actual innocence. The Commonwealth obtained photogrammetry/height analysis from experts who determined the perpetrator recorded on video could not have been Onyiah. On March 3, 2022, Pitts was arrested after an Investigating Grand Jury recommended criminal prosecution.
In July 2024, CIU prosecutors presented their evidence of Pitts’ wrongdoing to a jury of his peers. The jury heard testimony from Onyiah, who described being assaulted by Pitts inside the Police Administration Building’s Homicide Unit. The jury also heard from an individual who was detained in the Police Administration Building at the time Pitts assaulted Onyiah.
Most importantly, the jury heard extensive expert analysis by photogrammetry experts, who explained why the science established that Onyiah, who is 6’3”, could not have been the perpetrator recorded on the video. Pitts exercised his right to testify in his own defense, denying any wrongdoing. The jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict.
At sentencing, CIU prosecutors argued for a lengthy prison term because of the extreme gravity of Pitts’ crimes that were committed by abusing his position of trust and authority as a law enforcement officer. CIU prosecutors noted that Pitts was convicted of crimes related to three distinct incidents: Pitts’ 2010 violent interrogation of Onyiah, perjury during a motion hearing and to the jury that convicted Onyiah regarding the 2010 interrogation. CIU prosecutors told the Court that Pitts’s lies were premeditated and deliberate as part of a scheme to cover-up prior crimes. Additionally, CIU prosecutors noted the psychological trauma suffered by Onyiah.
During sentencing, CIU prosecutors played a recording of a phone call Onyiah made to his mother, shortly after arriving in jail following formal charges for the murder he did not commit. In the call, Onyiah cried for help from his mother.
“As a result of ex-Detective James Pitts’ deeply troubling corruption in this case, Mr. Onyiah lost 11 years of his life for no reason,” said DA Krasner. “Moreover, a murdered man’s true killer was never brought to justice. I commend CIU Supervisor ADA Michael Garmisa, and CIU ADA Rebecca McDonald for securing a modicum of justice here. My office will continue to pursue evenhanded justice, regardless of whether the perpetrators wear a badge, because no one is above the law.”
“This is an important day for accountability,” said CIU Supervisor Michael Garmisa. “The jury’s verdict and today’s sentence are important steps towards repairing the community’s trust in the justice system. I would like to thank Mr. Onyiah for bravely facing his abuser in court and testifying truthfully. While he suffered unique and personal harm, we all suffer when those in a position of trust, lie under oath with the intent to obstruct. This sentence appropriately addresses the gravity of those harms.”
This is not the only wrongful conviction linked to Pitts. On February 9, 2023, India Spellman was exonerated of the 2010 robbery and murder of George Greaves. Pitts played a role in the interrogation of two juvenile suspects in that investigation. The Conviction Integrity Unit supported Spellman’s exoneration, arguing she was likely innocent, a view supported by the surviving members of the victim’s family. The District Attorney remains committed to following the facts in individual cases to arrive at just results.
CONTACT:
Dustin Slaughter, Dustin.Slaughter@phila.gov
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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.