Former Philly Detective Sentenced For Beating Confession From Man

Source: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI / Getty

A former Philadelphia Police homicide detective will be serving the next two-and-a-half years in prison after being found guilty of beating a false confession out of a homicide suspect.

A jury convicted James Pitts, 55, of two felony counts of perjury and three counts of obstructing administration of law on July 16, 2024.

Pitts was sentenced to 32 to 64 months of state incarceration.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said the amount of damage caused by this former cop was “unmeasurably large” and that the consequences of his actions are just

“Good cops hate bad cops,” said Krasner about Pitts’ crimes. “That consequence, in the case of James Pitts, is not just the end of his career, it’s 32 to 64 months in state prison,” said Krasner. “And, that‘s exactly where he belongs, in my opinion.”

Back in October of 2010, William Glatz was killed when two gunmen attempted to rob the Glatz Jewelry Store in Philadelphia’s Lawncrest neighborhood.

The botched robbery ended in a shootout that left Glatz and one of the robbery suspects dead.

After being incriminated by a jailhouse informant, detectives identified Obina Onyiah as the other gunman. Onyiah was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Later on, it was revealed that after Oniyiah’s arrest in 2010, Pitts physically assaulted him, leading to Onyiah falsely confessing to the Glatz’s death.

During Onyiah’s murder trial, Pitts was a critical witness for the Commonwealth. It was also uncovered that Pitts falsified statements about the interrogation while testifying under oath.

On Tuesday, July 16, 2024, a jury convicted James Pitts of two counts of perjury and three counts of obstructing administration of law or other government function in the wrongful conviction of Obina Onyiah.