Man accused of stabbing Councilman Oh found not guilty

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The man accused of stabbing Philadelphia Councilman David Oh was found not guilty of the crime Thursday.

Shawn Yarbray, 25, had told the nine woman and three men on the jury that he was at home playing video games on the night last May when Oh was attacked outside of his Southwest Philadelphia home.

The Councilman was the only witness presented by the prosecution. Oh spent two-and-a-half hours on the witness stand Tuesday.

Oh said he was unloading the back of his SUV when he was attacked. Oh said the encounter lasted 8 to 10 minutes, with the assailant lunging at him more than 10 times with a 5-inch blade that has never been recovered.

Oh identified Yarbray by picking him out of a police array of mug shots.

Sam Stretton, Yarbray's veteran attorney, maintained that this was a case of mistaken identity and reasonable doubt.

The jury had asked Judge Sierra Thomas to re-read the definition of reasonable doubt before they delivered the not guilty verdict Thursday.

Yarbray showed no emotion when the verdict was read, but his father, Karif Roberts, was elated.

"God smiled on us today," said Roberts. "And like I said, I feel sorry for David Oh for what happened. But like I always said, it wasn't our son, it was not my son and I know that."

Councilman Oh said he respects the jury's decision.

"In this case, for whatever reason, the jurors were not comfortable determining that the person was in fact guilty," he said. "I'm fine with the verdict."

A spokesperson for the District Attorney's Office said they felt they had a strong case.

Karif Roberts said his son will now attempt to get his life back.

"Come next week, we're going to start looking to see if he can get his job back," said Roberts. "He was not a criminal, he was not homeless. Those pictures that were painted of him were not true."

------

Send a News Tip to Action News

Learn More About 6abc Apps