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After entering guilty pleas to several offenses, a man who was wrongfully imprisoned for almost 25 years may be sentenced to further time behind bars.
On November 13, 1990, Shaurn Thomas was found guilty of killing Domingo Martinez when he was transporting a total of $25,000 to one of his Northeast Philadelphia check-cashing businesses.
Despite not being close to the murder scene, Thomas was found guilty of involvement four years after he was detained the previous evening for attempting to steal a motorcycle.
While driving, Martinez was struck by a car. Three guys exited the automobile, and one of them shot Martinez through the glass. The murder was observed by four people.
Although they were unable to identify Thomas as one of the culprits, they did describe how Martinez was hauled out of the vehicle before they drove it off.
In the course of their investigation, Philadelphia Police received a tip that the crime was committed by a gang known as the ‘G-Boys’. Nathaniel Stallworth told officers that six individuals, including Thomas, were responsible for robbing and killing Martinez.
Given that he had ongoing criminal issues at the time, Stallworth might have given information in the expectation of receiving preferential treatment from the authorities.
Although their statements did not match the witnesses’ on the color of the stolen car, his relative was later apprehended and made a similar confession.
Three years after the murder, in July 1993, Thomas was charged with Martinez’s murder and was unable to provide an alibi.
In August 2011, attorney James Figorski and a former Philadelphia police officer petitioned The Pennsylvania Innocence Project under the Post Conviction Relief Act for Thomas, who was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release at the age of 20.
Attorneys found 36 pages of hidden witness testimonies pointing to various suspects and asked for a new trial for Thomas. In 2017, Shaurn’s conviction was overturned, and all charges were withdrawn.
The city of Philadelphia settled the American’s wrongful conviction for $4.1 million (£3.2 million).
However, he entered a guilty plea on December 5th to a separate murder—that of Akeem Edwards—in exchange for a $1,200 drug debt.
The Philadelphia Inquirer claims that Thomas wanted to sell Edwards some of his drugs and met him through his girlfriend Ketra Veasy.
According to the publication, on January 3, while driving with Veasy, Edwards allegedly agreed to bring back $1,200 of the price to Thomas. However, he failed to pay the money, and when Thomas found him, he jumped out and shot him.
Thomas’ girlfriend said she was unaware that he had a gun and that he planned to harm Edwards.
She claimed that he intimidated her and told her to stay silent about the crime before getting back in the car and driving off.
when receiving information about the murder from a federal informant, Thomas was taken into custody when police searched his home and discovered firearms and the hoodie he had on when the shooting occurred.
Both Thomas and Veasy were detained after their phone data showed that they were at the crime scene, and he was charged with illegal gun possession. However, Thomas has since been released on bond.
Veasy cooperated with police in the hopes of receiving a lower sentence, while Thomas entered a guilty plea to six charges against him, including third-degree murder.
