“We Reverse”
The case of one Project client wrongly convicted of second-degree murder, Derrick Chappell, along with his codefendants Samuel Grasty and Morton Johnson, has garnered widespread attention, including as the subject of a chapter in John Grisham’s recent work of non-fiction, Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions.
Based on new DNA evidence pointing to a completely different perpetrator, the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas granted the “Chester Three” a new trial in 2024. Now, the Pennsylvania Superior Court has reinstated their convictions.
“In 2024, a Delaware County Court judge vacated the three men’s convictions, saying newly tested DNA from the crime scene cast doubt on their culpability and might have persuaded jurors to reach a different conclusion had they been presented with that evidence at trial.
“But late last month, a panel of Superior Court judges disagreed and reversed that outcome.”
President Judge Anne E. Lazarus wrote a dissenting opinion highlighting the importance of new DNA evidence in strengthening the codefendants’ defense. The Delaware County Daily Times reports more on this and the joint statement issued by our team along with attorneys for Morton and Sam.
“The fact that evidence of their innocence was available at their trial should not prevent relief when new, different, and more scientifically-advanced evidence emerges.”
Derrick, Morton, Sam, and their attorneys continue this fight, petitioning for a re-hearing. Derrick was only 15 at the time of the Delaware County crime for which he was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He was resentenced following earlier Supreme Court rulings that struck down mandatory minimum sentencing of juvenile offenders to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Because Derrick and his codefendants were convicted of second-degree murder, the recent Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision in the case of Commonwealth v. Lee may ultimately open a pathway for Morton and Sam to also receive sentencing relief.
For now, however, they, too, must wait.
Derrick, Sam, and Morton have been incarcerated for more than 25 years for a crime they did not commit.