A Philly man awarded $4.1M by the city for an overturned murder conviction pleads guilty to killing a man over $1,200

Shaurn Thomas, who was released from prison and paid $4.1 million by the city after serving 24 years for a murder he says he didn’t commit, pleaded guilty Thursday to killing a man over a $1,200 drug debt.

Thomas, whose 1992 murder conviction was overturned in 2017, was convicted of third-degree murder and related crimes for fatally shooting 38-year-old Akeem Edwards last year.

That admission of guilt — by a millionaire who killed someone over a relatively paltry sum — means that the now 50-year-old Thomas, who has already spent half of his life behind bars, will now return there to live out much of what is left of it.

More than 30 years ago, a jury convicted Thomas of second-degree murder for the 1990 robbery and shooting death of a North Philadelphia businessman. For that, he was sentenced to life in prison.

His conviction was vacated by a judge on appeal in 2017, after documents emerged showing that detectives knew Thomas had a potential alibi but did not try to verify it. Investigators zeroed in on Thomas based on statements made by two alleged coconspirators, whose stories shifted and who later recanted their testimony. One of the men said the detectives fed him a false story and assaulted him until he repeated it.

While the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office declined to retry the case after the conviction was vacated, prosecutors said they were not completely convinced Thomas was innocent.

Thomas had been incarcerated since the age of 20, and was released just months before District Attorney Larry Krasner took office and dramatically expanded the office’s focus on reviewing old convictions.

Upon Thomas’ release, he joined a network of other Philadelphians who had been freed from prison after their convictions were overturned. Through those connections, he met Ketra Veasy, whose brother, Willie, had his murder case overturned in 2019.

Veasy and Thomas had been dating on and off for six years when, last fall, Thomas asked her to connect him with her childhood friend, Edwards, to see if he might sell some cocaine for him.

The two men met to discuss the deal. Thomas gave Edwards a sandwich baggie filled with the drugs and told him to bring back $1,200 from the proceeds. But Edwards never paid.

On Jan. 3, Thomas and Veasy met at her Delaware home, then drove to Philly to run errands. Before returning home, she said, Thomas suggested they drive through the neighborhood and look for Edwards. They spotted him, and Thomas got out of the car.

Veasy later said in court that she didn’t know that Thomas had a gun — and that she had wished no harm on Edwards. But then, suddenly, she said, she heard gunshots. Thomas ran back to her car, jockeying his gun back into his waistband, and said: “He’s hit, he’s down, just drive.”

She did as she was told and sped away.

As they drove back to Delaware, she said, Thomas made an eerie remark about his past.

“He said it’s his third homicide and he said he can’t go back to jail,” she said. He told her that he knew where her family lived — her children, her brother — and to “keep my mouth quiet or else,” she said.

It was not clear what other homicides Thomas may have been referring to.

A few weeks after Edwards’ killing, a federal informant told Philadelphia homicide detectives he had information about the case. The informant said Thomas had discussed the killing with him and said Veasy was there. He also told investigators that Thomas had put out a hit on Veasy out of concern that she might cooperate with investigators.

That led police to search Thomas’ home in Chester County. There, they recovered five guns, as well as a Gap hoodie that resembled the one he wore in the shooting. He was arrested and charged with illegal gun possession but was released on bail.

Data from Veasy and Thomas’ cell phones placed them at the scene. The pair were arrested in March and charged with murder.

While in jail, Thomas continued to reach out to Veasy, sending her letters that she said were intimidating.

“There’s no quick way through tough times like this,” he wrote in one. “It takes however long it takes. But there are friends to lean on, laughter to help us forget for a while, and sometimes a little grace shows up where we least expect it.”

The word friends was crossed out.

Veasy ultimately agreed to cooperate with investigators and testify against Thomas in exchange for facing less serious charges. She pleaded guilty last year to aggravated assault and conspiracy and awaits sentencing.

After Assistant District Attorney Cydney Pope detailed the crimes in court on Thursday, Common Pleas Court Judge Roxanne Covington fell silent. She appeared nearly stunned by what she heard before slowly turning back to Thomas.

“Are these facts true?” she asked him.

“Yes, Your Honor,” he said.

Thomas pleaded guilty to six crimes, including third-degree murder, conspiracy, and illegal gun possession. His attorneys declined to comment.

After the hearing, Edwards’ loved ones gathered in the hallway.

“There’s not enough time for them to possibly give him,” Edwards’ sister, Tyeisha Marshall, said of Thomas. She described her brother as a genuine man and a loving father.

Her family also blames Veasy, whom they grew up with as neighbors and friends, she said.

“If it wasn’t for her [introducing them], this would’ve never happened,” said Sharondah King, the mother of Edwards’ child.

For now, they said, they’re looking ahead to Thomas’ sentencing in February — and praying that he will return to prison for the rest of his life.