Philly Cop Recants Homicide ID
By Wyatt Earp | September 7, 2010
Do you think that’s bad? Don’t worry, it’s about to get worse. The officer decided to recant his identification four months later at the damned preliminary hearing!
You see, people like this make the rest of us look bad. It also gives the cop-haters in this town plenty of ammunition. Maybe I am being too harsh, but this officer needs to be fired. Post haste.
Officer Crory Henderson was off-duty in a corner barbershop at Rising Sun Avenue and Rosalie Street in Crescentville on April 9 when Sebree Johnson, 19, was shot across the street about 8 p.m., according to court records. Johnson was pronounced dead an hour later.
Henderson called 9-1-1 and 11 days later identified the shooter as Bobby Hoyle, 26, from Cedarbrook. Hoyle was then arrested. But, on Aug. 10, just before Hoyle’s preliminary hearing on murder and weapon charges – with Henderson as the star witness – Henderson dropped a bomb. He privately told Assistant District Attorney Ed Cameron and police detectives that he could no longer identify Hoyle as the shooter, according to the victim’s mother, Rochelle Horton-Nichols.
“All their mouths dropped,” Horton-Nichols said, recalling a conversation she had with Cameron the next day. Henderson allegedly told Cameron and the detectives that he “couldn’t see him [the shooter]. It was too dark.”
Naturally, ADA Cameron – a good guy, by the way – lost it. The charges had to be withdrawn at the preliminary hearing, and the investigation has to start over – from scratch.
Johnson’s family, and the D.A.’s Office want to know why Henderson lied about the ID. They contacted Internal Affairs and an investigation is ongoing. For his part, Henderson is not worried:
“They can investigate me all they want,” he said. “I don’t have anything to hide. I don’t know none of them people. I don’t know the deceased. I don’t know the shooter.”
And yet, he still lied about identifying a man wanted for homicide. Unbelievable.
Topics: Philly, The Job | 15 Comments »
September 7th, 2010 at 8:19 am
Perhaps you’re not being harsh enough. What would be the penalty for a regular person lying to the investigating officers and the D.A.? It needs to be even worse for an officer, simply because of the level of trust we have to give them. At this point, ALL of his past and future testimony is suspect. Do you think he’ll make a credible witness to so much as a traffic ticket in the future?
This guy’s just given a “get out of jail free” card to the defense attorneys that he may face in the future. He cost a possibly innocent man the time and expense defending himself. He should face some reprisal for his actions.
Good on the D.A. for withdrawing the charges. Let’s hope they find the evidence to get the real bad guy and make a solid case.
September 7th, 2010 at 8:32 am
It would be worse if that’s the real shooter.
He’s just muddied the water so much that a killer could get off scot-free.
September 7th, 2010 at 9:16 am
Definitely promotional material. “Sometime it bees that way”
September 7th, 2010 at 9:41 am
I’m speechless. How do you defend yourself after something like that ? I would say his credibility is now shot and removal from the force is necessary. Such a disgrace.
September 7th, 2010 at 10:52 am
No words.
September 7th, 2010 at 11:22 am
“I don’t know none of them people.”
I think he should lose his badge for using a double negative, but that’s just me.
September 7th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
He should be fired and his pension given to the family of Sebree Johnson along with an apology.
But, hey that is just me.
September 7th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
This smells fishy. Mistaken identity can happen, certainly. But a trained observer, which a police officer is, ought to have a sharper ability to recall things in a situation, especially a homicide situation. To have it turn around four months later is, to be polite, suspicious. He’s a desk jockey (if any desk would have him) until the investigation is complete… and hopefully someone’s looking into the money / threats trail. The “I don’t know none of them people” quote is a five-alarm siren for me.
September 7th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
Maybe the ID was true and he was “reached” to recant? It happens to civilian witnesses all the time; no reason to believe it couldn’t happen to a LEO…..
September 7th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
I don’t understand the final comment “I don’t know none of them people……..”. One would think if he was being honest about it he would be apologetic and remorseful.
Whether he made an honest mistake or not this guy should be fired immediately, there should never been the delay because starting from scratch months afterward is mission next to impossible. Naturally, I have my own suspicion on the motives.
September 7th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Officer Crory Henderson should be fired.
His word in court is shot, permanently.
Every time he has to testify in a case, the defense will bring this up. He forever more is an impeachable witness, enough to cause doubt in a jury.
September 7th, 2010 at 9:17 pm
Fire this nit wit and lock hi up if he commited perjury
September 7th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
It should say him
September 7th, 2010 at 10:41 pm
PhillipC – Agreed, he’s useless on the stand, but the department will say that since he’s at the Auto Pound, he won’t be on any cases anytime soon.
Veeshir – Unfortunately, Homicide thinks it is the real shooter.
Crusty – Oh, he’s almost over-qualified for promotion in this town.
Robbie – He should be fired – which is exactly why he won’t be.
Kim – He doesn’t represent all of us.
Mrs. Crankipants – Edu-ma-cation. It’s like, important and stuff.
Ferrell – Can’t imagine what his mother is feeling right now.
Bob – If you don’t know, you don’t know. People make mistakes, and no one would have thought less of him if he said, “I didn’t see him.”
FDLE Lew – The average patrol officer here makes crap. That sometimes breeds corruption. Not a defense, but there it is.
Ralph – When questioned, he immediately went to a defensive position. Why? That’s the question.
JCM – There’s a detective I know who was brought up on perjury charges. He was cleared, but he can’t testify again . . . ever. He does admin work in a neighboring division now.
Rick – Don’t think he perjured himself, because he told the ADA before the hearing. If he lied, he lied during an investigation, which is still a fireable offense.
September 8th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
The “I don’t know none of them people” quote is a five-alarm siren for me.
_____________________________________________
I concur.
To paraphrase Shakespeare…..
“Methinks the fuckwit doth protest too much”.