James A. Dennis (Jimmy) spent 25.5 years, an innocent man on death row, falsely convicted by corrupt police and prosecutors for the brutal 1991 murder of 17-year-old Chedell Williams in Philadelphia. It was always evident that Jimmy had nothing to do with the murder.
There never was any physical evidence linking Jimmy Dennis to this crime.
Jimmy does not fit the description of the killer. Witnesses described the perpetrator as 5'10" to 6'0" tall, 180 to 200 pounds, with dark-skinned complexion (as in actor Wesley Snipes or jazz musician Miles Davis). Jimmy is: 5'4", weighs 125 pounds, with a brown skin complexion.
Detective Jastrzembski checked out the homicide binder that contained all evidence of Jimmy's innocence and led to other suspects from the evidence room - and it was never seen again. On the stand, he denied ever taking the binder. When he was shown his signature, he pleaded the Fifth. Jastrzembski is the same detective who said "the cleaners" threw out vital evidence - the clothes - another blatant lie - there is no single police department in the country that allows "cleaners" into the evidence room.
Judge Anita B. Brody itemized many more disturbing details in the precedent-setting decision that ultimately led to Jimmy's release.
Read that at: https://casetext.com/case/dennis-v-wetzel
This case involves the Corruption of :
· Detective Manuel Santiago & Detective Frank Jastrzembski buried the truth about Jimmy's innocence. The two detectives have since been charged with perjury after a grand jury concluded they lied on the witness stand during another innocent man on death row’s case, showing a pattern of behavior that led to innocent people being falsely convicted and condemned to die. If the statute of limitations had not run out, the detectives would have been charged with more charges.
· Assistant DA Roger King, the Prosecutor who hoped his nefarious words and actions put the final nails in the coffin, and it almost happened when his work led to the conviction in what was later proven to be one of the most infamous wrongful conviction cases in Pennsylvania's history. King notoriously brushed away the fact that Jimmy did not fit witness descriptions with these words to the jury, "This case is not about race, weight, or height, but about the right to take public transportation.”
· Lynne Abraham, the District Attorney at the time who oversaw all the work of the Prosecutor's office, earned herself the nickname "The Queen of Death." If the state had executed Jimmy the way her office had hoped, he would have been just another body in her body count.
Since the disgraced District Attorney refused to accept the obvious truth that the department had tortured an innocent man in a death row cell for more than 25 years, Seth Williams intended to appeal the landmark 3rd Circuit court decision to release Dennis. Ironically, six months after making the unscrupulous Dennis was finally released, Williams himself ended up in prison.
Mayor Jim Kenney and the City Attorney continue to perpetuate this grievous injustice by refusing to do right by Jimmy. Even after making the ridiculous claim that never should have been argued, and despite the unanimous decision of the 3rd Circuit (now legal standard in the country) that police do not have the freedom to frame James A. Dennis - or anyone else - and then claim immunity. [AR1] Unbelievably, the city is still fighting tooth and nail, putting its stamp of approval on the Corruption of the Prosecutor and police, making the current Mayor and the current City Attorney undeniably complicit in the ongoing corruption.
From the time he was stolen away, Jimmy spent hours every day writing people and organizations he thought could help. Among the people he ultimately connected with were Canadian couple, Dave Parkinson and Tracy Lamourie, when Jimmy sent a 28-page letter written on both sides and all the legal material he had in his cell at the time. Parkinson learned to make a website, and Lamourie learned to write a press release, launching what they called the “Justice For Jimmy” campaign from 1998 till his release in 2017.
The “Justice For Jimmy” website went live in June of 1998. Soon people from across the US and around the world joined what became a core team (Justice For Jimmy Dennis), with members supporting Jimmy in whatever way they could: sharing his story, speaking to media, putting a few dollars in his account, becoming emotional support to Jimmy and his family.
Arnold & Porter, a Washington law firm, came into the picture and began working on the case pro-bono in 2000.
District Judge Anita B. Brody, one of the most respected influential judges in the country, changed everything with her decision on August 21, 2013. In her landmark ruling - the first time someone was exonerated in a non-DNA case, she writes:
"James Dennis, the petitioner, was wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to die for a crime in all probability he did not commit." She called the case "a grave miscarriage of justice."
Read the historical decision in its entirety at: https://casetext.com/case/dennis-v-wetzel
Seth Williams, now acting for the Prosecutor's office, appealed the decision for political gain. Three judges reversed the decision in Feb 2015. Then, only a few months later, in May 2015, the Third Circuit would reverse that decision and grant Jimmy a new trial back, allowing him to come before the court En Banc (with all 13 judges sitting to hear the case - something that has not happened in over two decades).
Thankfully, after a rehearing in an historic proceeding the 3rd Circuit sat down en banc. On August 23, 2016, the 3rd Circuit decided in Jimmy's favor in yet another precedent setting landmark decision, which is now the legal standard in the country that is helping to free innocent people across America. In the decision Judge Rendell wrote, “The suppressed Brady material—a receipt corroborating Dennis’s alibi, an inconsistent statement by the Commonwealth’s key eyewitness, and documents indicating that another individual committed the murder—effectively gutted the Commonwealth’s case against Dennis.”
Jimmy was finally freed after 25.5 years on death row on May 13, 2017, after having to make what he calls “an unscrupulous deal” to finally get out, something he was forced to do because of his mother’s declining health.
In 2017, after his release, Jimmy launched a lawsuit against the City of Philadelphia.
On November 23, 2021, another groundbreaking legal decision precedent of national importance, the Third Circuit ruled in a unanimous decision that police do not have the right to frame Jimmy and then claim immunity. In an ironic twist, this decision came down on the anniversary of the day in 1991 that Jimmy was first stolen away.
Today, he still waits for justice. The now 30-year nightmare continues for Jimmy and his family as Mayor Kennedy and the Philadelphia city attorney continue to uphold the corruption of those that came before them. Their actions now deem them complicit in the act, denying Jimmy compensation and an apology for all that was stolen from him.Today, he still waits for justice. The now 30-year nightmare continues for Jimmy and his family as Mayor Kennedy and the Philadelphia city attorney continue to uphold the Corruption of those that came before them. Their actions now deem them complicit in the act, denying Jimmy compensation and an apology for all that was stolen from him.
Written by Jimmy Dennis