What to KnowA mixed verdict was reached in the trial of three former Philadelphia police detectives who were accused of lying under oath during the 2016 retrial of Anthony Wright, a man who was wrongfully convicted of rape and murder.The jury began deliberating on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in the t rial of former detectives Martin Devlin, Manuel Santiago and Frank Jastrzembski. On Thursday, March 27, 2025, Devlin was acquitted on all charges, Jastrzembski was acquitted on all but one charge while Santiago was acquitted of all but two charges A mixed verdict was reached in the trial of three former Philadelphia police detectives who were accused of lying under oath during the 2016 retrial of a man who was wrongfully convicted of rape and murder. The jury began deliberating on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in the trial of former detectives Martin Devlin, Manuel Santiago and Frank Jastrzembski. The three men were accused of lying during the 2016 retrial of Anthony Wright, who spent two decades in prison after being wrongfully convicted of raping and murdering an elderly widow in 1991. On Thursday, March 27, 2025, Devlin was acquitted on all charges, Jastrzembski was acquitted of all but one charge while Santiago was acquitted of all but two of the charges. The case of Anthony Wright In 1991, 20-year-old Anthony Wright was arrested and charged with raping and murdering an elderly widow. Wright was convicted of the crime two years later in 1993 and spent two decades in prison. Wright’s conviction was overturned in 2014 however, after DNA evidence pointed to another suspect. Despite the DNA exclusion, Seth Williams – Philadelphia’s District Attorney at the time – chose to retry Wright in 2016, calling Devlin, Santiago and Jastrzembski out of retirement to testify. The key piece of evidence remaining at the retrial was Wright’s confession. His lawyers argued that it was coerced. The detectives denied it. Lawyer Sam Silver, representing Wright, asked Devlin to write down the nine-page confession in real time, as he said he had done “word for word” in 1991. The once-famed detective — who helped nab a New Jersey rabbi in his wife’s murder-for-hire — jotted down only six words before giving up. Wright told jurors that police had made him sign the confession without reading it. They deliberated just a few minutes before acquitting him, and Wright, who spent 25 years in prison, later received a nearly $10 million settlement from the city. Then in 2021, a grand jury indicted Devlin, Santiago and Jastrzembski. Santiago and Devlin were accused of lying about the confession. Santiago and Jastrzembski were accused of lying when they testified that they didn’t know about the DNA problem. Jastrzembski was also accused of lying about finding the victim’s clothes in Wright’s bedroom. All three retired detectives – now in their 70s – were named in federal civil rights lawsuits, including Wright’s. The lawsuits accuse them of police misconduct and in some cases, coercing false confessions. The city of Philadelphia settled those lawsuits for a total of nearly $30 million but did not admit fault. The perjury trial for the three former detectives was set to begin more than a year ago. Lawyers for the defense had tried to get the case tossed, however, arguing that inadmissible evidence was used during the grand jury proceedings that led to their indictment. Earlier in March 2025, the lawyers petitioned the Pennsylvania supreme court for extraordinary relief. Their perjury trial finally began on Monday, March 17, 2025. Within the first hour of Wednesday’s deliberations, the jury had multiple questions about the case and focused on the 2016 and 2017 testimonies of Santiago and Jastrzembski in regards to their knowledge of DNA testing. All three former detectives maintained their innocence and pleaded not guilty. None of the former detectives took the stand during their perjury trial. Wright took the stand last week and was in court during jury deliberations on Wednesday as well. On Thursday, March 27, the jury reached a mixed verdict for the three former detectives. Here’s a full breakdown: Frank Jastrzembski For false testimony at the 2016 retrial regarding the search of Anthony Wright’s bedroom: Not guilty of one count of perjury Not guilty of one count of false swearing in official matters For false testimony at the 2017 deposition regarding the search of Anthony Wright’s bedroom: Not guilty of one count of perjury Not guilty of false swearing in official matters For false testimony at the 2016 retrial regarding prior knowledge of the DNA results: Guilty of one count of false swearing in official matters Not guilty of one count of perjury Marty Devlin For false testimony at the 2016 retrial regarding the 1991 interrogation and confession of Anthony Wright: Not guilty of one count of perjury Not guilty of one count of false swearing in official matters For false testimony at the 2017 deposition regarding the 1991 interrogation and confession of Anthony Wright: Not guilty of one count of perjury Not guilty of one count of false swearing in official matters Manuel Santiago For false testimony at the 2016 retrial regarding the 1991 interrogation and confession of Anthony Wright: Not guilty of one count of perjury Not guilty of one count of false swearing in official matters For false testimony at the 2017 deposition regarding the 1991 interrogation and confession of Anthony Wright: Not guilty of one count of perjury Not guilty of one count of false swearing in official matters For false testimony at the 2016 retrial regarding prior knowledge of the DNA results: Guilty of one count of perjury Guilty of one count of false swearing in official matters This story is developing. 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