A Black man whose 1992 murder conviction was overturned in 2017 was convicted of third-degree murder last week. The victim was 38-year-old Akeem Edwards, who was killed last year.
Shaurn Thomas was ultimately released from prison and paid $4.1 million by the city of Philadelphia after serving 24 years for a murder he said he didn’t commit. But on Thursday (Dec. 5), he admitted to killing Edwards over a $1,200 drug debt.
Thomas pleaded guilty to third-degree murder and weapons offenses. He is now 50 years of age and will spend the rest of his life in prison even though he has already spent half of his life there.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, a jury convicted Thomas of second-degree murder for the 1990 robbery and shooting death of a businessman in North Philadelphia. For that crime, he wound up being sentenced to life in prison.
In 2017, his conviction was vacated by a judge on appeal after documents revealed that detectives knew Thomas had a possible alibi but did not attempt to corroborate it.
Authorities focused on Thomas based on statements made by two alleged coconspirators, who later recanted their testimony.
Thomas met Edwards through his girlfriend, Ketra Veasy, whose brother was also wrongly imprisoned. Edwards allegedly took cocaine worth $1,200 from Thomas to sell but failed to pay him the money.
On Jan. 3, 2023, Thomas and Veasy drove around Philadelphia running errands when Thomas suggest they go to Edwards’ neighborhood to track down the money that was allegedly owed to him. After Thomas found and shot Edwards, the pair drove away.
After Edwards’ death, a federal informant told Philadelphia homicide detectives he had information about the case. The informant claimed Thomas talked about the killing with him and said Veasy was there. He also said that Thomas had put out a hit on Veasy because he was worried that she might cooperate with police.
The pair were arrested a few months later and charged with murder. Veasy worked with investigators and testified against Thomas in exchange for lesser charges. Last year, she pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and conspiracy.
Veasy is still awaiting sentencing while Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced in February.