Man who got $4m payout after he was 'wrongly' jailed for murder is sent back to jail after admitting another killing

Monday, December 09, 2024 - A Philadelphia man who received a $4.1million settlement from city officials after he served 24 years behind bars for a murder he did not commit is sent back to jail.

Shaurn Thomas, now 50, pleaded guilty in court on Thursday to killing 38-year-old Akeem Edwards on January 3, 2023, over a $1,200 drug debt, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The judge at the plea hearing appeared shocked that a man who received millions in settlement money after spending nearly half his life in prison would risk being sent back over a comparably small amount of money, according to the paper.

"Are these facts true?" Common Pleas Court Judge Roxanne Covington asked Thomas, to which he confirmed.

On top of the murder charge, Thomas pleaded guilty to conspiracy, illegal gun possession and other charges.

Edwards’ family told the paper that they hope Thomas returns to prison for the rest of his life after his sentencing, which is scheduled for February.

"There’s not enough time for them to possibly give him," Edwards' sister, Tyeisha Marshall, told the paper.

Thomas' previous life sentence that was overturned in 2017 came after the 1990 shooting death of a businessman in a robbery gone wrong.

A judge vacated his conviction over issues with the police investigation, including the failure to verify his alleged alibi, as well as interrogation tactics involving alleged coconspirators. The Pennsylvania Innocence Project, which helped secure Thomas' freedom, says he was nowhere near the murder scene.

Prosecutors said they were not completely convinced that Thomas was entirely innocent in the killing, but the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office declined to retry his case.

He is due to be sentenced in February.