A Philadelphia man who received a $4.1 million settlement after being exonerated for a murder he didn't commit is now heading back to prison for a different killing.
Shaurn Thomas, 50, was released in 2017 after serving 24 years of a life sentence when his 1994 murder conviction was overturned. However, he recently pleaded guilty to a 2023 murder charge.
Thomas admitted to fatally shooting Akeem Edwards, a friend of his girlfriend, over an alleged drug debt of $1,200. According to reports, Thomas supplied Edwards with cocaine to sell, and the killing occurred after Edwards failed to pay him back.
The judge expressed astonishment that Thomas would jeopardize his freedom again after receiving such a substantial settlement and spending so many years wrongly imprisoned. Thomas confirmed the facts of the case to the judge.
In addition to the murder charge, Thomas pleaded guilty to conspiracy, illegal gun possession, and other related offenses. Edwards' family expressed their hope for a life sentence for Thomas, whose sentencing is scheduled for February.
Thomas's initial 1994 conviction stemmed from the shooting death of a businessman during a robbery. His conviction was later vacated due to problems with the police investigation, including issues with verifying his alibi and interrogation tactics used with alleged accomplices. While prosecutors acknowledged some lingering doubts about his complete innocence in the 1990 case, they chose not to retry him.
