A man from Philadelphia who was exonerated and awarded a $4.1 million settlement after spending 24 years in prison for a murder conviction that was later overturned is now facing a new murder charge.
Shaurn Thomas, who was released from a life sentence in 2017 following the reversal of his 1992 murder conviction, recently pleaded guilty to a 2023 killing, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Thomas, now 50, was found guilty of fatally shooting Akeem Edwards, a friend of his girlfriend, last year. The incident occurred after Edwards, a 38-year-old father, allegedly failed to pay $1,200 for cocaine that Thomas had provided him to sell, according to local reports.
During the plea hearing, the judge expressed astonishment at the situation — a man who had spent a significant portion of his life in prison and received a large settlement now facing charges over a relatively small amount of money, as reported by the Inquirer.
“Are these facts true?” Common Pleas Court Judge Roxanne Covington asked Thomas on Thursday.
“Yes, Your Honor,” he replied.
In addition to the murder charge, Thomas also pleaded guilty to conspiracy, illegal possession of a firearm, and other offenses.
Family members of Edwards expressed their desire for Thomas to receive a life sentence at his sentencing scheduled for February.
“There’s not enough time for them to possibly give him,” said Edwards’ sister, Tyeisha Marshall, to the newspaper.
Thomas had previously been sentenced to life in prison at the age of 20 for the 1990 shooting death of a businessman in North Philadelphia during a robbery. However, his conviction was overturned in 2017 due to issues with the police investigation and interrogation tactics. The Pennsylvania Innocence Project played a role in securing Thomas’ release.
Although prosecutors were not completely convinced of Thomas’ innocence in the previous murder case, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office chose not to retry the case, according to the Inquirer.
