Shaurn Thomas, a 50-year-old man from Philadelphia, has been sentenced to 33 to 66 years in prison for fatally shooting 38-year-old Akeem Edwards over a $1,200 drug debt. This shocking turn of events comes eight years after Thomas’s release from prison, where he spent 24 years for a murder conviction that was later overturned.
Wrongful Conviction and Payout
In 2017, Thomas’s 1992 murder conviction was vacated after documents emerged showing detectives knew Thomas had a potential alibi but didn’t verify it. The Pennsylvania Innocence Project helped secure his release, leading to a $4.1 million settlement from the city in 2020. At the time, Thomas expressed no animosity towards the police and planned to move forward with his life.
Guilty Plea and Sentencing
However, Thomas’s life took a drastic turn when he met Edwards through his girlfriend, Ketra Veasy, whose brother had also been wrongly imprisoned. Thomas asked Veasy to connect him with Edwards, who took cocaine worth $1,200 from him to sell but failed to pay. On January 3, 2023, Thomas tracked down Edwards in a Philadelphia neighborhood and shot him dead. Veasy, who was driving the car, testified that she didn’t know Thomas had a gun and wished no harm on Edwards.
Thomas pleaded guilty to six crimes, including third-degree murder, conspiracy, and illegal gun possession. Judge Roxanne Covington expressed incredulity that Thomas, a multimillionaire, would risk returning to prison over a relatively small sum of money.
Reaction from Edwards’ Family
Edwards’ family expressed outrage and grief over the incident. His sister, Tyeisha Marshall, said, “There’s not enough time for them to possibly give him.” Sharondah King, the mother of Edwards’ child, criticized Veasy for introducing Thomas and Edwards, saying, “If it wasn’t for her, this would’ve never happened”.