3 men exonerated after judge overturns 1997 murder convictions; 2 released from prison

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Three men are being released from prison after a judge overturned their convictions in a 1997 murder case, with Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner saying the case "had no integrity."

Jermel Shuler, Rasheed Smith, and Mark Brittingham have spent nearly 30 years in prison following their convictions in the killing of 73-year-old Essie May Thomas, who was found beaten and stabbed to death in her North Judson Street apartment.

Each had been sentenced to life in prison.

Schuler and Smith were released from SCI Phoenix prison in Skippack, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday evening. Brittingham is scheduled to be released from SCI Chester in Delaware County on Wednesday.

Krasner said the three men were denied a fair trial and should not have remained incarcerated.

"I'm saying they were robbed of a fair trial and their conviction has no integrity," Krasner said.

Speaking outside the Criminal Justice Center after the judge granted the exonerations, Krasner emphasized the weakness of the evidence used to convict the men.

"This evidence is so inconclusive. That, frankly, if this evidence is enough, we'd better lock up half the city," he said. "You cannot keep people in jail forever who were robbed of a fair trial."

According to prosecutors, the case relied primarily on two elements: the estimated time of death and testimony from a single eyewitness. Both, officials said, were deeply flawed.

"The only witness in the case, who actually put these men close to this woman who was murdered, is a known liar," Krasner said.

The district attorney's office also found that the timeline presented at trial was incorrect.

New expert analysis concluded that Thomas died at least a day later than the medical examiner originally testified, undermining the prosecution's theory of the case.

"That placed the time of death at 24 hours after the medical examiner said that she died, and that the sole witness saw the defendants on the victim's porch," said Assistant District Attorney Rebecca McDonald of the Conviction Integrity Unit.

Assistant District Attorney Matt Stiegler called the case "a grave injustice."

"It's a case that was flawed from the start, and it just completely collapsed once we determined the medical examiner's time of death was unreliable," Stiegler said.

Krasner said there are no plans to retry the men, citing a lack of evidence. The murder of Essie May Thomas remains unsolved.

"We cannot forget that there's also family out there that has had this traumatic event reopen," McDonald said.

The three men were being held at SCI Chester and SCI Phoenix and were expected to be released.

Under Pennsylvania law, they are not eligible for compensation.

The Pennsylvania Innocence Project helped secure the exonerations and will help the three after they are released.