03/14/2025
Shaurn Thomas, who received $4.1 million from the city of Philadelphia after serving 24 years in prison for a murder he maintained he didn’t commit, was sentenced on Friday to spend the rest of his life behind bars for the murder of a man over a $1,200 drug debt.
Common Pleas Court Judge Roxanne Covington sentenced Thomas to 33 to 66 years in prison for the fatal shooting of Akeem Edwards in January 2023. Thomas’ girlfriend at the time served as the getaway driver, and in the aftermath, he threatened her and later even put out a hit on her to prevent her from cooperating with authorities, according to prosecutors.
Thomas, 50, pleaded guilty last year to third-degree murder, conspiracy, witness intimidation, and related gun charges.
Assistant District Attorney Cydney Pope described the case as remarkable, noting that Thomas, a millionaire from his wrongful conviction settlement, chose to kill over a relatively small amount of money. She emphasized the striking irony that, after spending over half his life in prison fighting to be released, Thomas would now return to prison for a crime he committed after his exoneration.
“The facts of this case are extraordinary,” Pope said. “The city of Philadelphia paid him millions of dollars… but he had to maintain his street cred.”
Thomas’ attorneys, Michael Wiseman and Catherine Trama, argued that his past—spending 25 years in prison after a traumatic childhood—played a significant role in his actions.
