PHILADELPHIA (July 16, 2024) — District Attorney Larry Krasner announced on Tuesday that a Philadelphia jury has convicted ex-Philadelphia Police Homicide Detective James Pitts of abusing his authority. Today, the jury found Pitts guilty of obstruction for assaulting then-suspect Obina Onyiah in 2010, resulting in Onyiah providing a false confession to the robbery-murder of William Glatz at the Glatz Jewelry Store in Lawncrest. In 2013, Pitts testified separately at a pretrial motion and jury trial in which he falsely denied assaulting Onyiah. Today, the jury found Pitts guilty of two counts each of obstruction and perjury for lying at these proceedings.
The charges against Pitts followed an investigation by the Thirty-First County Investigating Grand Jury in 2022. Pitts’ conviction stems from his role in the police investigation and conviction of Obina Onyiah. As a result of Pitts’ crimes, Onyiah served 11 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. With the support of the District Attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit, Onyiah’s conviction was vacated in 2021 after scientific evidence proved he could not have been the perpetrator. The actual perpetrator who fled the scene of the murder has never been brought to justice.
“I thank the jury for rendering a fair and just verdict in this case,” said DA Krasner. “I also want to thank Conviction Integrity Unit Chief Michael Garmisa and Assistant District Attorney Rebecca McDonald for their skillful prosecution of this historic case. This is the first time in our city’s history that a Philadelphia detective has been found guilty of coercing a confession that led to the wrongful conviction of an innocent person. My administration will continue to seek evenhanded justice in all cases prosecuted by this office, regardless of the defendant, because no one is above the law.”
“I’m grateful to the Philadelphia jury for their service. They delivered justice in this case today,” said ADA Garmisa. “Most importantly, I want to thank Mr. Onyiah for courageously testifying about the abuse he suffered at the defendant’s hands. Additionally, I want to thank Conviction Integrity Unit Assistant Supervisor Carrie Wood for her investigative work on Mr. Onyiah’s appeal, as well as the work of Detective Michael Wexler, Detective Valarie Miller-Green, and our law enforcement partners in the Philadelphia Police Department, Internal Affairs, Investigative Support Services Unit, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations.”
Pitts is scheduled for sentencing on October 4, 2024, in the Court of Common Pleas.
CONTACT:
Dustin Slaughter, [email protected]