Theophalis Wilson

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Charge:	First Degree Murder
Sentence:	Life imprisonment
Years Imprisoned:	28
Year Crime:	1989
Year Convicted:	1993
Year Cleared:	2020
U.S. State or Country of Crime:	Pennsylvania
County or Region of Crime:	Philadelphia
City of Crime:	Philadelphia
Result:	Judicially Exonerated Released
Summary of Case:	"Theophalis Wilson and Christopher Williams were wrongly convicted on August 6 1993 of three counts of first-degree murder and other charges in the shooting deaths of three drug dealers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1989. The key evidence against Williams and Wilson was the testimony of a jailhouse informant James White who agreed to finger Williams as the shooter and Wilson in the shooting in exchange for not facing the death penalty for his role in an unrelated killing. White confessed to a total of six murders. Williams and Wilson were both arrested and charged in 1992. After his conviction by a jury Williams was sentenced to death, and Wilson was sentenced to life in prison. Williams' death sentence was affirmed by the state Supreme Court on October 2, 1998, but his execution was stayed. In 2013 William's post-conviction petition was granted setting-aside his conviction and a new trial was ordered based on his "direct appeal counsel was ineffective for failing to challenge Williams' corrupt organizations conviction ... which the PCRA court concluded would have resulted in this Court vacating that conviction." The prosecution appealed. On July 19, 2016 the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Eastern District affirmed the grant of a new trial based on ineffective assistance of counsel. An investigation by the Philadelphia Conviction Integrity Unit discovered documents in February 2019 with eyewitness accounts that contradicted White's testimony and account of the killings, and police activity sheets that identify alternative suspects. None of the documents had been turned over to Williams' trial lawyers. In December 2019 the motion by the DA's office to dismiss the charges in the triple murder against Williams was granted. However, Williams wasn't released, because he also has a murder conviction in another case that he was also sentenced to life in prison. The Philadelphia DA's Office filed a motion to dismiss the charges against Wilson based on the same exculpatory evidence relied on the dismiss the charges against Williams. On January 21, 2020 the DA's motion was granted, and Wilson was immediately released after 28 years in custody."
Conviction Caused By:
Innocence Proved By:	"On December 25, 2019 the motion by the DA's office to dismiss the charges in the triple murder against Williams was granted. However, Williams wasn't released, because he also has a murder conviction in another case that he was also sentenced to life in prison. The Philadelphia DA's Office filed a motion to dismiss the charges against Wilson based on the same exculpatory evidence relied on the dismiss the charges against Williams. On January 21, 2020 the DA's motion was granted, and Wilson was immediately released after 28 years in custody."
Defendant Aided By:
Compensation Awarded:
Was Perpetrator Identified?
Age When Imprisoned:	20
Age When Released:	48
Sex:	Male
Skin/Ethnicity:	Black
Information Source 1:	"Man wrongfully convicted of murder set free after 28 years in prison, By Associated Press, New York Post, January 22, 2020"
Information Location 1:	https://nypost.com/2020/01/22/man-wrongfully-convicted-of-murder-set-free-after-28-years-in-prison/
Information Source 2:	"A brutal triple murder, an eager informant, hidden evidence, and now, exoneration, by Samantha Melamed, The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 8, 2020"
Information Location 2:	https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-da-larry-krasner-exoneration-christopher-williams-theophalis-wilson-20200106.html
Information Source 3:	"Commonwealth v. Williams, 141 A.3d 440 (Pa. 2016) (Affirming lower courts grant of a new trial based on ineffective assistance of trial counsel.)"
Information Location 3:	https://casetext.com/case/commonwealth-v-williams-712
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Theophalis Wilson

Charge:

First Degree Murder

Sentence:

Life imprisonment

Years Imprisoned:

28

Year Crime:

1989

Year Convicted:

1993

Year Cleared:

2020

U.S. State or Country of Crime:

Pennsylvania

County or Region of Crime:

Philadelphia

City of Crime:

Philadelphia

Result:

Judicially Exonerated Released

Summary of Case:

Conviction Caused By:

Innocence Proved By:

Defendant Aided By:

Compensation Awarded:

Was Perpetrator Identified?

Age When Imprisoned:

20

Age When Released:

48

Sex:

Male

Skin/Ethnicity:

Black

Information Source 1:

"Man wrongfully convicted of murder set free after 28 years in prison, By Associated Press, New York Post, January 22, 2020"

Information Location 1:

https://nypost.com/2020/01/22/man-wrongfully-convicted-of-murder-set-free-after-28-years-in-prison/

Information Source 2:

"A brutal triple murder, an eager informant, hidden evidence, and now, exoneration, by Samantha Melamed, The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 8, 2020"

Information Location 2:

https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia-da-larry-krasner-exoneration-christopher-williams-theophalis-wilson-20200106.html

Information Source 3:

"Commonwealth v. Williams, 141 A.3d 440 (Pa. 2016) (Affirming lower courts grant of a new trial based on ineffective assistance of trial counsel.)"

Information Location 3:

https://casetext.com/case/commonwealth-v-williams-712

Information Source 4:

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Information Source 5:

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