Former Philadelphia Detective Convicted of Perjury in Coerced Murder Confession Case

PHILADELPHIA — A former Philadelphia homicide detective accused of beating a murder suspect to obtain a confession and then lying about it in court has been convicted of obstruction and perjury.

Prosecutors said they would seek a prison sentence for James Pitts, 53, when he is sentenced Oct. 4, but the judge overseeing the case rejected their request to jail Pitts until then. Pitts, who maintains his innocence, declined to comment after the verdict was handed down Tuesday after jurors deliberated for about eight hours over two days.

Pitts has been accused of aggressive physical interrogation tactics and coercing false confessions in several prosecutions and complaints, and in some murder cases that failed at trial or shortly thereafter. The charges he faced stemmed from the case of a man cleared of murdering a well-known jewelry store owner after spending nearly 11 years in prison.

Obina Oniyah was convicted in 2013 of the 2010 murder of jeweler William Glatz during a robbery. Both Glatz and one of the two armed robbers were killed during the exchange of gunfire.

Prosecutors said Oniyah was convicted largely based on a confession made by Pitts. But the man claimed before, during and after the trial that Pitts beat him and threatened him into signing a false statement.

A photogrammetry expert examined video of the robbery and concluded that Onyiah was much taller than the remaining shooter in the robbery — 6 feet, 3 inches compared to no taller than 5 feet, 11 inches — the expert said. He was dismissed in May 2021.

“I thank the jury for returning a fair and just verdict in this case,” said Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. “This is the first time in our city’s history that a Philadelphia detective has been found guilty of coercing a confession that led to the wrongful conviction of an innocent person. My administration will continue to seek impartial justice in all cases prosecuted by this office, regardless of the defendant, because no one is above the law.”