Prosecutors decline to re-try man, citing fired detective
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Prosecutors said Thursday they will not re-try a Philadelphia man whose 2012 murder conviction was overturned earlier this month, citing weak evidence and the involvement of a disgraced former detective now charged with sexually assaulting witnesses in other cases. Forty-year-old Rafiq Dixon had been serving a life sentence in the 2011 fatal shooting of Joseph Pinkney. The initial case relied heavily on testimony from three witnesses who gave inconsistent accounts. All three were interviewed by former homicide detective Philip Nordo, who has been charged with various crimes including stalking, intimidating and sexually assaulting male suspects and witnesses during his career. Prosecutors did not accuse him of similar misconduct in Dixon’s case.