Lawsuit filed for wrongful conviction in Philadelphia murder

NORRISTOWN, Pa. (WPVI) -- A man who spent more than a quarter-century in prison after being wrongfully convicted is now filing a lawsuit against the city of Philadelphia.

His lawyers say the case was full of faulty testimony and police work. The legal action comes as he works to rebuild his life and his community.

"We're going to utilize this for gaming for the neighborhood community," Tyree Wallace says of a room decked out with comfy chairs, tables and a chessboard inside a building in Norristown.

The building is the headquarters for his nonprofit organization, Systemic Reformative Change Foundation. As the 47-year-old works to change other people's lives, he's also rebuilding his own life.

"I'm actually starting therapy on Friday, which I'm extremely proud of and looking forward to," said Wallace, who is starting anew after spending 26 years in prison for a crime he says he didn't commit.

"Being innocent does not mean you'll get out of prison," he said of the course of events in his case.

His attorneys announced Tuesday that they'd filed a lawsuit against the city of Philadelphia. Nine detectives with the Philadelphia Police Department are also named in the lawsuit.

Wallace, a South Philadelphia native, was convicted in a 1997 robbery and murder in the city's Point Breeze section.

"It's unprecedented," said Wallace's attorney Joseph M. Marrone. "There is no evidence whatsoever to convict this man. There never was evidence! The only thing they ever had was witnesses who were coerced and manipulated by bad detectives."

All of the witnesses have recanted their testimony. There have been years of pleas and protests for Wallace's release. Last year, Wallace was released from prison when a judge vacated his second-degree felony murder conviction, but there was one condition: Wallace had to plead guilty to a lesser charge of conspiracy to commit third-degree murder in order to gain his freedom.

"A judge telling me, 'If you don't take this deal, you're gonna die in jail,'" he recalled of the court appearance.

The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office declined to comment to Action News on the case, citing pending litigation.

The DA's office, though, confirms that Wallace's case was evaluated by its Law Division, which came up with the recommendation for the deal. Wallace's attorneys hope their lawsuit will clear his name and spur systemic change.

"He represents so many young men who got lost in the system and were used as disposable to the system's process and progress," said Keir Bradford-Grey, who is also Wallace's attorney.

As his lawyers work in the courts, Wallace works in the streets, doing things like community cleanups.

"What we're trying to do is impact this community, have them engaged," said Derek Johns, who works as community outreach director for Systemic Reformative Change Foundation.

Wallace is hoping to set things right after a wrongful conviction.

"I was not going to allow this system to break me, shake me or define me," he said.

Attorneys for Tyree Wallace are seeking an unspecified amount of damages, but it will likely be in the millions of dollars.