Jimmy Dennis’ Wrongful Conviction and Pennsylvania’s Justice Problem

In 1991 a 17-year-old student named Chedell Ray Williams was shot at a Philadelphia bus stop. The killer was apparently after a pair of $450 earrings worn by the Olney High School student. The following year a man named Jimmy Dennis was sentenced to death for the North Philadelphia shooting. Dennis was on Pennsylvania’s death row for 23 years until August 21, 2013 when Judge Anita Brody reviewed his appeal. Ultimately the federal district judge threw out Dennis conviction, declaring he was wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to die for a crime in all probability he did not commit. In her opinion, the judge called the wrongful conviction a grave miscarriage of justice.

The Witnesses to the Philadelphia Shooting

Overthrowing the conviction was based, in part, on the evidence that was scant at best, according to Judge Brody. The prosecution covered up evidence that could have easily led to the jury finding Jimmy Dennis innocent. One aspect of the evidence that the jury never saw was the testimony of witnesses. Some witnesses were certain that other men committed the North Philadelphia shooting. In fact, there were three other men blamed by witnesses to the event aside from Dennis. The three witnesses the jury did hear from stated that Dennis committed the crime. One other man told the jury that he saw Dennis with a gun that night. This was essentially the basis of evidence the prosecution built their case on.

The Alibi for Jimmy Dennis

The court identified another problem with the prosecution’s theory of liability: Dennis own explanation. The court pointed out that the prosecution ignored Dennis own explanation for where he was at the time of the murder. It allowed a witness who saw Dennis on that bus to give incorrect testimony about what time that interaction occurred. Dennis counsel was not effective either. They failed to put forth much evidence at all including that of Dennis alibi.

The Victim’s Friend

Chedell was not alone when she was murdered at the bus stop. Chedell stood there alongside a friend. This friend told the prosecution that not only was she present, but she knew each of the killers involved in the North Philadelphia shooting, accurately identifying them. She even went so far as to explain that she knew their nicknames. This witness was not heard from during Dennis’ trial. This defense counsel did not even interview this witness, or any other witness. This friend was the only witness who was near Chedell when she was murdered. When it came time to determine whether Dennis should be sentenced to death, the jury spent just about three hours concluding that he should, and this also partially led to Dennis’s conviction.

Overturning the Overturned Wrongful Conviction

On February 9th of this year a panel of what have been called the most conservative judges on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals vacated Judge Brodys order to overturn the previously deemed wrongful conviction. Thus, Dennis was once again sentenced to die in prison.

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