D.A. drops death penalty in 2002 murder retrial

Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer   The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office has decided not to seek the death penalty in the retrial of a North Philadelphia man whose 2007 death sentence was invalidated after discovery of a mix-up in DNA evidence....

Court: City Judge O’Neill to face federal charges

Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer   Municipal Court Judge Joseph J. O’Neill soon will be charged in a federal criminal case, a state judicial court said in a filing Friday. The Court of Judicial Discipline said in a motion that Assistant U.S. Attorney...

Jury Acquits Six Narcotics Cops On All Charges

Source: Big Trial   It was a complete repudiation of the government’s racketeering case against six former narcotics officers. Forty-seven times, the jury foreman today announced a verdict on forty-seven charges contained in twenty-six separate counts....

Officers in corruption trial praised as “heroes”

Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer   The federal corruption case against six members of an elite Philadelphia police narcotics squad will head to a jury Thursday, after a second day of closing arguments in which the defense team lauded its clients as heroes and...

The Real Deal: A Philly Police Officer Speaks Anonymously

Source: Philadelphia Magazine   In our new feature, The Real Deal, we’re talking to people in Philadelphia who will only speak to us with a clear agreement of anonymity. For the first installment, a veteran Philadelphia police officer talks about the Center City...