Judge overturns conviction of man accused of killing Philadelphia police officer Moses Walker
The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office will appeal a judge's decision to overturn a conviction and order a new trial for a man accused of killing a Philadelphia police officer in 2012.
Rafael Jones has served more than a decade of a life sentence for the death of Moses Walker, who police say was shot and killed while off duty during a botched robbery.
On Aug. 18, 2012, Walker was in civilian clothing when he walked to the bus stop at 20th Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue and was approached by two men. Prosecutors say Jones was one of those men.
During an ensuing confrontation, Walker was shot multiple times and later pronounced dead.
Jones and another man, Chancier McFarland, were convicted in connection with the case. McFarland testified during Jones' trial and was later sentenced to 20-40 years in prison.
Court records show Judge Jennifer Schultz has vacated Jones' conviction and ordered a new trial.
"The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, respectfully, and I do mean respectfully, disagrees with the decision that was made in court yesterday by a hardworking judge. We respectfully disagree. We will be, respectfully, filing an appeal in this case," District Attorney Larry Krasner said Tuesday. "We believe now that Rafael Jones is guilty and that he murdered Moses Walker Jr. We believe that the decision made by the judge was legally incorrect, and therefore we will be asking the appellate court to change the outcome here. We will be asking them to say no, there's no retrial needed, the original conviction stands."
Krasner said the judge overturned the murder conviction of Jones because the case was connected to a "dirty detective" with Philadelphia police. The district attorney was referring to Philip Nordo, a former homicide detective who was convicted in 2022 of sexually assaulting witnesses in murder cases.
In 2012, Nordo was assigned to the Walker murder case, but Krasner said that shouldn't change the murder conviction.
Nordo's conviction followed a 2019 grand jury report that accused him of using his position to intimidate and groom male suspects and witnesses into sexual acts. He was sentenced to up to 49 years in prison. At the time, Krasner said, "Nordo is being held accountable for the many disturbing ways in which he abused his oath and his badge to hurt and threaten vulnerable young men."
There have been several exonerations, reduced sentences and other considerations for cases involving Nordo. Krasner said Tuesday the Walker case does not deserve a retrial.
"Let me be clear, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office in this administration has always defended this conviction because we believe that was the right thing to do," Krasner said. "There's a messy history here involving one detective in this case, and we have not hesitated to try to correct that wrong from the past. But that wrong, in our view, does not affect this trial."
Even though Krasner said Jones gave a confession to Nordo, the confession was not used during the trial.
"Jones gave a confession to that detective," Krasner said. "That confession was not used in that first trial, which is part of the reason we don't believe a retrial is necessary."
Krasner said his office will retry the case if the appellate court affirms Schultz's ruling.
"We have a lot of evidence to do so, and we will be retrying it vigorously," Krasner said. "Because as I said, we believe that this conviction is factually, legally, morally correct."
Wayniya Walker keeps her son, Moses, close to her heart. Now more than a decade later, the trauma continues for his family.
"In just 14 days, our family will mourn 14 years since Moses was taken from us," Wayniya Walker said. "Circumstances have once again brought our family before cameras, microphones, requiring us to revisit the darkest chapter of our lives."
For the Walker family, while this moment may reopen wounds, they're keeping the focus squarely on Moses.
"We have not allowed grief to define us, and we will not allow these latest developments to weaken us. We respect the judicial process and remain confident that justice will prevail," Wayniya Walker said. "Justice requires that Moses remain at the center of this case. That his rights as a victim receive full consideration and the safety of the public remain a paramount concern. No decision rendered can alter what happened on Aug. 18, 2012, but Moses will remain a source of strength for our family, for this city, and we will continue to honor his legacy."
Krasner said the appeal could take anywhere from one to two years, and a trial could add another year.
As for the possibility of bail for Jones, Krasner said he doesn't believe Jones is eligible given that he is still facing first-degree murder charges.
