Philadelphia DA could press charges against police officer accused of lying in Eric Lewis's 2019 murder trial
New details are emerging about the background of the man accused of killing Philadelphia police officer Shane Seiber on Saturday.
Eric Lewis was found not guilty of murder in a different case three years ago. District Attorney Larry Krasner said that was because of a botched investigation by the Philadelphia Police Department.
Investigators allege Lewis, 35, shot two police officers on Oct. 10. Seiber was killed and officer Hector Rodriguez was shot 12 times. Rodriguez is still recovering in the hospital.
CBS News Philadelphia found out Lewis had been charged with murder in the 2019 shooting death of Christopher Williams.
At trial in 2023, Williams's family said they were confident Lewis would be convicted, but the judge ruled he was not guilty.
In a YouTube video posted days after Seiber's killing, Krasner said Lewis was acquitted years prior because of a flawed investigation by police. Krasner said the investigation included lies by a police officer about fake tips in the Williams case. He did not identify the officer, who he said was fired.
CBS News Philadelphia was able to ask Krasner a few questions for the first time Friday at an unrelated news conference, including how his office responded when the judge reached a not guilty verdict in Lewis's 2023 trial and said there was a flawed police investigation.
"I could say in a word, pretty vigorous, but we will give more specifics at a later time," Krasner said. "Out of respect for these families, we want to make sure they are fully aware of things that have not been necessarily provided to them by the Philadelphia Police Department or by other entities that have been involved in this situation."
CBS News Philadelphia also asked Krasner if his office pursued charges against that police officer who allegedly lied about tips in a murder case.
"As I said, we'll be speaking more on it in the future, but I would ask the question differently, which is, will your office pursue charges?" Krasner said.
Krasner did not get into specifics but did say that providing false information to law enforcement and obstructing justice are crimes.
Earlier this week, police released a statement saying they won't be commenting on the prior case at this time. They will in the future, but right now they are focusing on honoring Seiber's life.
A public viewing for Seiber is scheduled for Monday from 6-9 p.m. at the Givnish Funeral Home in Philadelphia. Seiber's funeral will be Tuesday, with a public viewing from 8 a.m.-10:30 a.m. at Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.
