It was one of the biggest court scandals in Philadelphia history. Christopher W.* (62) had been innocently on death row for 25 years – for six murders that the prosecutor’s office held against him despite clear evidence of his innocence.
After his release, he himself became a prosecutor against the authorities. Tragically, the 62-year-old will no longer experience justice. The father of six has now been shot on his way to a funeral, as reported by the “Philadelphia Enquirer”.
W. was sentenced to death in 1989 for six murders, including one triple murder. He always maintained that he was innocent. It was three decades before a newly formed Philadelphia Attorney’s Office committee reconsidered the case. It turned out that the chief prosecutor witnesses and informants had demonstrably lied, and a whole mountain of forensic evidence that excluded W. as the perpetrator was covered up by the public prosecutor at the time from the defense.
He received no compensation
W. was declared innocent in all murder cases by an appeals court in February 2021 and released. Since then, the ex-convict has been working as a self-employed carpenter and has been trying to reintegrate into society. He founded his own construction company and worked for people who were innocent in prison.
According to his family, it was difficult to return to work. Especially since he received no monetary compensation for the years he spent innocently in prison. The state of Pennsylvania, where the city of Philadelphia is located, does not pay punitive damages to wrongly convicted persons.
“Although we are actually innocent, not everyone believes that”
In December 2021, he sued the City of Philadelphia, former District Attorney Lynne Abraham, District Attorney David Desiderio, and 17 police officers in the Supreme Court for damages. Due to delays due to Corona, the first hearing should not take place until the new year.
W. will not experience that again. Last Friday he drove to a funeral of an ex-cellmate. As he got out of his car, an unknown man approached him, pulled out a gun and shot him in the head. According to investigators, there are many indications that the crime was planned. But so far there is no trace of the shooter.
Theophalis W.*, who was also convicted in 1989 as an alleged accomplice of W. and subsequently acquitted, now fears for his life. “I have to be very careful – like everyone who was connected to Chris,” he tells the “Philadelphia Enquirer”. However, W. did not explain what exactly he meant by that. He only added: “Although we are actually innocent, not everyone believes that.” (jmh)
* Names known