A wrongfully convicted man who spent more than two decades in prison filed a lawsuit against the city of Philadelphia as well as the detectives who were involved in the case.
A wrongfully convicted man who spent more than two decades in prison filed a lawsuit against the city of Philadelphia as well as the detectives who were involved in his case.
The lawsuit -- filed by 47-year-old Tyree Wallace and his attorneys at the Marrone Law Firm, LLC -- names the city of Philadelphia and nine former police officers as defendants.
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WATCH HEREOn. Oct. 27, 1997, Young Su Kang, the owner of the Salt & Pepper convenience store in Philadelphia’s Point Breeze neighborhood, was shot during an apparent robbery. He was pronounced dead the next day.
Wallace was ultimately charged and convicted of the murder and robbery. According to the lawsuit, Wallace’s conviction was based entirely on the coerced testimony of three witnesses. The lawsuit states the Philadelphia police officers involved in the investigation intimidated and harassed the witnesses into falsely testifying against Wallace.
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SIGN UP Wallace’s attorneys said there was no forensic evidence connecting their client to the crime and that every witness that testified against him either recanted their statements or were discredited by other witnesses who were interviewed by investigators.
The attorneys said one of the men who testified against Wallace did so in order to avoid a more severe punishment for his involvement in six armed robberies. That man – who was potentially facing more than 100 years in prison -- ultimately negotiated a guilty plea to the robberies in exchange for a reduced sentence of five to 10 years, according to Wallace’s attorneys. The attorneys said the man recanted his statements immediately after testifying and claimed he was coerced by the officers involved in the case.
Wallace spent 26 years in prison and maintained his innocence while behind bars while also creating two nonprofits that support wrongfully accused prisoners.
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Wallace’s sentence was vacated in 2024 after he pleaded guilty to a lesser crime he claims he also did not commit.
“Even though he did not commit this crime, Mr. Wallace knew that this would be his only opportunity to gain his freedom,” his attorneys wrote. “In connection with this negotiated resolution to Mr. Wallace’s criminal case, his original conviction was vacated, providing the “favorable outcome” required by Heck v. Humphrey, 512 U.S. 477 (1994).”
Wallace and his attorneys are now seeking compensation for the wrongful arrest, wrongful conviction and wrongful incarceration. They’re also seeking a full exoneration.
“He was arrested and convicted on the basis of false evidence, which was known by the Defendants herein to be false at the time it was used in the affidavit of probable cause to arrest and subsequently put before the court and jury,” his attorneys wrote. “Mr. Wallace’s constitutionally protected right to due process was also violated by the deliberate suppression of exculpatory evidence, which, if not withheld, would have changed the outcome of the trial. As a result of this conduct, Mr. Wallace was forced to spend more than a quarter century in state prison.”
Wallace and his legal team announced the lawsuit during a press conference on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
“Being innocent does not mean you get out of prison. Period,” Wallace said. “You have to find a technicality. A loophole. A reason why you didn’t get a fair trial. So I understand that I was faced with that. And I had to do what I had to do in order not to die in prison.”
NBC10 reached out to the city of Philadelphia for comment. We will include their response when we receive one.
