Shaurn Thomas, who received $4.1 million from the city of Philadelphia after serving 24 years in prison for a murder he claimed he did not commit, was sentenced on Friday to effectively spend the rest of his life in prison for killing a man over a $1,200 drug debt.
Roxanne Covington, a Common Pleas Court judge, sentenced Thomas to 33 to 66 years in jail for fatally shooting Akeem Edwards in January 2023. Thomas’ girlfriend at the time served as the getaway driver, and in the weeks and months that followed, he intimidated her, then took out a hit on her in an attempt to discourage her from collaborating with police, authorities claimed.
Thomas, 50, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder, conspiracy, witness intimidation, and other firearms charges last year.
The notion that Thomas, a millionaire, would kill someone for such a small sum was astonishing in and of itself, according to Assistant District Attorney Cydney Pope. But perhaps more concerning was the fact that he would now be returning to prison after spending more than half of his life seeking to be released, she said.
Thomas’ attorneys, Michael Wiseman and Catherine Trama, cited the unique circumstances—spending a quarter of a century in jail following a difficult childhood—as the motivator for Thomas’ acts.
Victoria Reynolds, a trauma psychologist who evaluated Thomas, described his childhood as terrible, full of neglect and abuse. His father was in and out of prison, but he physically and mentally tortured him at home, punching, kicking, and lashing him with an extension wire.
Reynolds claimed that his mother did not protect him and that both parents used narcotics. At the age of 18, he suffered a gunshot wound. Brain scans revealed extensive damage to his frontal lobe, which is responsible for judgment, self-awareness, and impulse control, she said.
Thomas, then 20, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the 1990 murder of a North Philadelphia businessman. Thomas’ mental disorders increased while in prison, according to Reynolds, since he witnessed rapes and brutality and felt little hope for his future despite professing innocence.
For years, Thomas’ lawyers had fought to clear him of the crime. Documents eventually emerged that prosecutors said undermined the case’s strength: key witnesses claimed they were coerced and threatened by detectives, investigators withheld evidence from Thomas’ defense attorney during his trial, and an alibi surfaced indicating Thomas was “most likely” in juvenile court at the time of the shooting.
The District Attorney’s Office, then managed by acting District Attorney Kelley Hodge, eventually agreed to vacate the conviction, citing fresh material that “undermined” our confidence in it.
Thomas was released in 2017, only months before District Attorney Larry Krasner took office and drastically increased the office’s emphasis on examining previous convictions.
Reynolds, the psychologist, stated that Thomas’ discharge was not easy. He was returned to the dysfunctional family and environment that had hurt him, with limited resources and information about how to negotiate his new existence. And after he was awarded $4.1 million by the city, his PTSD symptoms worsened since everyone knew he had money, and he felt compelled to protect it and himself.
Thomas purchased a spacious home in Chadds Ford and possessed several cars and motorcycles.
“But none of that was enough,” Pope explained.
After his release, Thomas joined a network of other Philadelphians who had their convictions overturned. Through these ties, he met Ketra Veasy, whose brother, Willie, had his murder conviction overturned in 2019.
Veasy and Thomas had been dating on and off for six years when, last fall, Thomas requested her to connect him with her childhood buddy, Edwards, to see if he could help him sell cocaine. Edwards consented, and Thomas handed him the medication. But Edwards failed to return the $1,200 he promised.
On January 3, 2023, Thomas drove to Delaware to pick up Veasy before driving to Philadelphia to perform errands. Veasy later testified in court that before coming home, Thomas suggested they travel around North Philadelphia and seek Edwards. They spotted him and Thomas stepped out of the car.
Veasy claimed she had no idea Thomas had a gun and had no intention of causing harm to Edwards. But then she stated she heard gunfire. Thomas dashed back to her car, reinserted his revolver into his waistband, and yelled, “He’s hit, he’s down, just drive.”
She did as instructed and sped away.
During their return journey to Delaware, Thomas cautioned Veasy to remain silent, stating, “This is my third body, and I ain’t going to prison.”
Pope reiterated that he had to kill Edwards because “it was the principle.”
Pope expressed her belief that Thomas was not genuinely innocent of the murder for which he received his release. She also pointed out that before Thomas was arrested for the 1990 homicide, he was accused of a second slaying with his father, for which he was found not guilty.
“Apparently, what 25 years in prison taught him to do was to keep doing the same thing,” she told me.
On Friday, Edwards’ loved ones said his death had fractured their family. Sharondah King claimed Edwards’ 19-year-old daughter does not leave her room for weeks at a time.
“Nothing is the same,” his sister, Tyeshia Marshall, explained.
Pope also stated that she did not feel Thomas’ PTSD was the sole cause of Edwards’ death. She said that the crime was planned and executed with precision rather than being motivated by impulsive behavior.
The judge eventually agreed.
“Wrongfully convicted does not mean he is rightfully innocent,” according to Covington.
She then quoted a Brazilian proverb: “A snake can shed its skin, but not its nature.”
She condemned Thomas to decades in jail and ordered that he be kept in a facility dedicated to mental health care.
Thomas’ loved ones in the audience sobbed. Wiseman stroked his client’s shoulder before the sheriff’s deputies helped him up.
Before being brought out of the courtroom, Thomas briefly addressed his family.
“It’ll be alright,” he said before being carried away to a more familiar existence.