Ex-Philadelphia detective convicted of perjury in coerced murder confession case

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A former Philadelphia homicide detective accused of beating a murder suspect to obtain a confession and then lying about it in court has been convicted of obstruction and perjury charges. Prosecutors say they’ll seek a prison term for 53-year-old James Pitts when he’s sentenced Oct. 4. But the judge overseeing the case rejected their motion to jail Pitts until that time. Pitts, who maintains his innocence, declined comment after the verdict was handed down Tuesday. Pitts has been accused of aggressive physical interrogation tactics and coercing false confessions in numerous lawsuits and complaints, and in a handful of murder cases that collapsed at trial or shortly after.