Tag: philadelphia

Wrongfully convicted Philadelphia man released from prison after 27 years, prosecutors say

A Philadelphia man who has been incarcerated for nearly three decades was released from prison Thursday after prosecutors now say he was wrongfully convicted.

Eddie Ramirez, 47, has spent the last 27 years behind bars after he was convicted of killing Joyce Dennis, a laundromat employee who was found brutally beaten to death at work after a robbery in 1995.

The district attorney’s office says Ramirez was convicted of a crime despite no physical evidence tying him to the case. After reviewing the case, prosecutors argued for all charges against Ramirez to be vacated, which a judge granted Thursday morning in front of a packed courtroom that broke out in cheers following the announcement.

“Oh my God, I feel my heart’s going to come out and I feel I got my baby coming back home,” said Maria Ramirez, Eddie’s mom.

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Philly LGBT center cancels tribute to slain journalist Josh Kruger, citing ‘allegations that have recently surfaced’

The William Way LGBT Community Center has canceled a planned tribute event for slain Philadelphia journalist Josh Kruger, citing “the allegations that have recently surfaced.”

The cancellation of the event — a ticketed gathering slated for Oct. 29 for those who knew Kruger to gather, share stories, and reminisce — came a day after The Inquirer published a story detailing assertions from the family of Robert Davis, 19, who is accused of fatally shooting Kruger in his Point Breeze home earlier this month.

The family said Davis was 15 years old when he and Kruger began a relationship involving drugs, and that prior to the shooting, Davis told them Kruger threatened to post sexually explicit videos of the teen online.

“With the allegations that have recently surfaced about Josh’s murder and the complexities involved, we don’t believe that we can create a safe space, either for Josh’s friends and family, or for those who have rightful anger and concerns over allegations of child sexual abuse,” the center posted on its event page Thursday. The William Way Center could not be reached for comment Friday.

“As more is revealed about the facts of the case, we hope that together we can figure out the right next steps to acknowledge and remember the many victims in this case — individuals, families, and communities,” the center’s post said.

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Murdered far-left Philly activist Josh Kruger had drug-fueled sexual relationship with suspect at 15, family claims

The family of Robert Davis, 19, who is accused of killing Philadelphia activist Josh Kruger, 39, claims that Kruger started a drug-fueled sexual relationship with Davis when he was just 15 years old. Before Davis allegedly shot Kruger, according to the police, Davis told them that Kruger was threatening to post sexually explicit videos of him online.

The Davis family made the claims during a recent interview with The Inquirer in which they alleged that Davis, who is still at large, struggled to keep the sexual relationship hidden, which ultimately caused his life to unravel.

Detectives reportedly discovered sexually explicit photos and messages on Kruger’s phone during an investigation into his death. Authorities did not reveal if the images and messages involved Davis but called them “disturbing.” Authorities gave the evidence to the Special Victim’s Unit, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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Leftist journalist who downplayed violent crime gunned down in his Philly home

Josh Kruger, a leftist journalist and activist who was based in Philadelphia, was shot and killed inside his home on Monday. Kruger had a long history of downplaying violent crime in the city, often openly mocking those who expressed concerns about homicides in Philadelphia.

“Look, it’s that lawless land of liberals in Philly where shootings are…dropping to levels not seen in years,” read a past post by Kruger.

“Some idiot just said you’re more likely to get shot and killed than die of COVID in Philly to make some insensitive rhetorical point for ‘his side.’ Folks, four times as many Philadelphians have died of COVID than gun shots this year. I understand math is hard but do better,” stated another. 

The 39-year-old Kruger was shot seven times at a residence in the 2300 block of Watkins Street around 1:30 am Monday, reports 6 ABC.

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Exclusive video captures smoke shop raid in Philadelphia

Authorities across the region are cracking down on illegal marijuana operations.

Law enforcement raided a total of five smoke shops in Philadelphia and South Jersey.

Police said some of the shops were allegedly selling to minors.

Only the Action News Investigative Team was there as officers with the Philadelphia Police’s Narcotics Unit raided a home and smoke shop on the 6000 block of Lansdowne Avenue in Overbook on Monday.

This shop was one of three in the city raided for allegedly selling illegal marijuana products.

The other two are on the 2200 block of South 21st Street in South Philadelphia and the 7900 block of Verree Road in Fox Chase.

Police took out boxes of evidence from the Overbrook shop, and two men were arrested and taken away in handcuffs.

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Flight Attendant Found Dead in Philadelphia Hotel with Sock in Mouth Identified

Officials have identified the 66-year-old American Airlines flight attendant found dead late Monday in a Philadelphia hotel room with a sock in her mouth.

According to authorities, Diana Ramos’s body was found at the Philadelphia Airport Marriott, Fox News reported Thursday.

Housekeepers in the building discovered her body just before 11:00 p.m., according to Breitbart News, noting she was supposed to have checked out of the hotel two days before.

There were reportedly no signs indicating forced entry or a struggle at the scene.

An image shows Ramos, who was reportedly from Las Vegas. A Fly Guy’s Crew Lounge described her as a “seasoned crew member.”

Officials are calling her death “suspicious” and homicide investigators are working to gather answers in the case. According to law enforcement, there were no weapons found at the scene and no one has been arrested regarding the incident.

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American Airlines Flight Attendant Found Dead With Sock in Her Mouth in Hotel Room

Editor’s note: New information has come to light, and it has been confirmed that it was a “cloth” rather than a “sock” that was found in the airline attendant’s mouth, according to the New York Post.

An American Airlines attendant has been found dead in a hotel room in Philadelphia.

The attendant’s identity has not been made public. According to NBC 10 News, Chief Inspector Scott Small reported the cause of death “has not been determined.”

Small added the following details:

The attendant was 66 and a resident of Las Vegas.

The woman was found by the Marriott hotel cleaning staff. Medics responded quickly and pronounced her dead at the scene at 10:40 a.m., Monday, Sept. 25.

The woman was to have checked out two days prior.

Sealed prescription bottles were found inside the room.

Officials have verified that the attendant had been prescribed “several medications.”

The room showed no signs of forced entry or struggle.

No weapons were found inside the room.

The woman’s identity is being withheld pending an autopsy.

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Suicide ruling upheld for Philly teacher found with 20 stab wounds but judges slam ‘deeply flawed’ investigation

An appellate court panel upheld a ruling that a Philadelphia teacher found dead in 2011 with 20 stab wounds had killed herself, but slammed the police investigation as “deeply flawed,” according to court documents.

The family of Ellen Greenberg, 27, has fought for more than a decade to overturn the city’s ruling over the death of the teacher, whose corpse was riddled with stab wounds, including 10 to the back of the head and neck.

Greenberg’s family hired a team of experts in the aftermath of her death who pointed out that a knife in her apartment was overturned, possibly suggesting that she had been involved in a struggle, and a gash on the back of her head may have rendered her unconscious and unable to defend herself.

Her family has also questioned why she filled up her gas tank before coming home and didn’t leave a note indicating that she planned to take her own life.

An appellate panel ruled Wednesday that Greenberg’s parents, Joshua and Sandra, lacked the standing for a civil suit, but the judges criticized the city police, prosecutors, the medical examiner’s office and pathologists Marlon Osbourne and Sam Gulino for blunders made in their investigation, Fox News reports.

“The facts surrounding this matter are extremely disturbing and the parents’ tireless efforts over the past 12 years to learn exactly what happened to their daughter on the evening of January 26, 2011, warrant our sincere sympathy,” Judge Ellen Ceisler wrote.

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Fired Philadelphia cop Mark Dial is charged with murder for shooting Eddie Irizarry dead FIVE SECONDS after pulling him over for ‘driving erratically’ – as police release horrific bodycam footage

Former Philadelphia police officer Mark Dial has been charged with murder for killing a 27-year-old driver last month after surveillance footage showed him shooting him through his car window.

Mark Dial fatally shot motorist Eddie Irizarry through his car window in North Philadelphia on August 14 – just five seconds after he got out of his patrol car. 

Police have now also released bodycam footage of the incident, previously seen through surveillance video from a nearby home collected by the alleged victim’s family. 

Dial, who was fired a week later, has now been charged with murder, voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault, simple assault, reckless endangering and official oppression, the DA announced. 

He turned himself in to the police South Detectives division on Friday, with his lawyer claiming Dial believed he was in danger when he fired.

Bodycam footage shows Dial and his partner pull up next to Irizarry’s parked car before Dial exits his cruiser and begins shouting and the alleged victim. Seconds later he starts firing at Irizarry inside his car. 

Dial’s partner is then heard saying, ‘Mark, hold on. Mark, stop,’ before instructing him to move the police cruiser. 

The cops then pull Irizarry’s body out of his car and load him into the backseat of a cruiser, with Dial then driving to a hospital.  

District Attorney Larry Krasner said the footage is ‘hard to watch, and Irizarry’s family chose to watch it. 

‘There is always some level of trauma, especially for family members associated with watching something that is extremely violent… Regardless of the warnings, they wanted to see it, which we all understand, and we saw it.’

Police originally claimed Irizarry was ‘driving erratically’ before getting out of his car with a knife and lunging at officers. 

But Shaka Johnson, the lawyer representing Irizarry’s family, released surveillance footage from a nearby home to counter the police narrative at a press conference on August 23.

In the surveillance video, taken almost opposite the scene, Dial is heard yelling ‘I will f***ing shoot you,’ at Irizarry before opening fire at near point blank range through the driver’s side window.

He is then seen firing again through the windshield as he ran backward and circled around the car.

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Philadelphia Considers Zoning Restrictions on Still-Illegal Recreational Pot Shops

Recreational marijuana isn’t legal yet in Pennsylvania. That hasn’t stopped Philadelphia politicians from trying to future-proof their zoning ordinances to block recreational sales.

Philadelphia Councilmembers Brian O’Neill and Curtis Jones have proposed amendments to the city’s zoning code that would preemptively prohibit existing medical marijuana businesses in two overlay districts they represent from participating in recreational sales.

The prohibition would affect five existing medical marijuana stores, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, which reported on the zoning amendments earlier today.

The immediate practical impacts of the amendments are minimal, given that recreational marijuana is still illegal in Pennsylvania. State lawmakers are nevertheless working on various proposals for legalizing recreational sales. Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, has endorsed legalizing (and heavily taxing) recreational sales.

Industry advocates say this will unfairly penalize existing medical marijuana businesses when recreational sales are eventually legalized, all because they opened up in the wrong part of town.

“If you set up a system where four or five stores can’t sell adult use and then 16 can, people are going to go to the ones” that can sell to recreational customers, says Jamie Ware, president of the Pennsylvania Cannabis Coalition (a trade association).

Ware is also a senior vice president with Holistic Industries which operates one of the Philadelphia dispensaries that would be affected by O’Neill and Jones’ zoning amendment.

Existing businesses, she notes, are locked into longer-term commercial leases, so they can’t easily move to avoid the restrictions. If the current medical system is any guide to how future recreational businesses will be regulated, transferring a license to a new location would require state approval and could take years.

O’Neill did not immediately respond to Reason‘s request for comment. Jones told the Inquirer that while medical sales haven’t created problems, recreational sales will bring a less desirable crowd, necessitating the restrictions.

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