Former Philadelphia detectives found guilty of lying under oath in Anthony Wright trial

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

Two long-retired Philadelphia homicide detectives accused of lying under oath in the case involving Anthony Wright were convicted on perjury charges Thursday, while another was acquitted.

Retired detectives Manuel Santiago and Frank Jastrzembski were found guilty of one count each of false swearing. Santiago was also found guilty of one count of perjury. Martin Devlin was acquitted of all charges, according to the Associated Press.

The case stemmed from the 1991 rape and killing of 77-year-old Louise Talley during an apparent burglary. Anthony Wright, then 20, was convicted of rape and murder and spent 25 years in prison before DNA testing pointed to someone else. The detectives were all retired when a 1991 homicide case was retried in 2016, restarting the statute of limitations to file perjury charges.

During the retrial, Wright said he was handcuffed to a chair at police headquarters and forced to sign a statement saying he was guilty.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said at a news conference Thursday that Wright was the victim of a false conviction ”by every scientific indication.”

Krasner said Anthony Wright’s case “stands out in the history of the Innocence Project,” a national litigation and public policy organization dedicated to exonerating wrongfully convicted individuals. He said former DA Seth Williams, who was convicted in 2017 on corruption charges, fought for years to make sure the DNA wasn’t tested.

“I hope the message will be heard, loud and clear, for every person who testifies under oath, provides information to police or who provides information to a court that your lies will follow you,” Krasner said. ”You risk an appropriately harsh sentence that you richly deserve.”

DNA evidence eventually connected Ronnie Byrd as the perpetrator. Byrd lived less than two miles away from Talley, according to Krasner. The Innocence Project said Byrd was 39 years old at the time of the crime and had a lengthy criminal record. He died in South Carolina in early 2013.

Jastrzembski, 77, and Santiago, 75, are facing prison time and are scheduled to be sentenced June 18.