District Attorney Talks About Former Detective Convicted Of Perjury
by Alex Lloyd Gross
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner talked with the media earlier today about James Pitts, a former Homicide Detective who will be spending about five years of his life in state prison. Krasner said his office was able to prove that Pitts beat and struck Obina Onyiah, when he did not want to confess to a killing of a jewelry at Glatz Jewelry store on Rising Sun Avenue in the fall of 2010. Onyiah was actually innocent of the crime.
The case went to trial even though Onyiah had stated that he was beaten in the interrogation room at police headquarters. Krasner’s office took another look at the case and found several discrepancies that exonerated Onyiah, including video and other evidence.
“The fact is, the real killer is out there, that’s what happens when police lie,” Krasner said. Krasner said that “Most cops are honest, and want to arrest the right people”. During the press conference, audio tapes were played between Onyiah and his mother and another with his girlfriend . He claimed he was beaten into signing the confession.
A jury convicted Pitts of Perjury and obstructing the Administration of Law. He could serve just over five years in state prison, should he serve his full sentence. Common Pleas Judge Anthony Kyriakakis sentenced Pitts to 32 to 64 months of state incarceration. This historic conviction and sentence mark the first time in nearly 50 years that Philadelphia law enforcement was held criminally accountable for perjury after physically coercing a confession from a suspect.
This is not the only wrongful conviction linked to Pitts. On February 9, 2023, India Spellman was exonerated of the 2010 robbery and murder of George Greaves. Pitts played a role in the interrogation of two juvenile suspects in that investigation. The Conviction Integrity Unit supported Spellman’s exoneration, arguing she was likely innocent, a view supported by the surviving members of the victim’s family. The District Attorney remains committed to following the facts in individual cases to arrive at just results.