(Philadelphia) – Brian J. McMonagle of McMonagle Perri McHugh Mischak Davis has obtained a full acquittal for a retired Philadelphia police detective in a closely watched perjury trial related to a murder that took place over thirty years ago.
Martin Devlin was charged with two counts each of perjury and false swearing for allegedly coercing a false confession from Anthony Wright in 1991 in the horrific rape and murder of Louise Talley, a 77-year-old Philadelphia widow, and also in his testimony in a 2016 retrial for Wright.
Devlin, now 80 years of age, is a celebrated law enforcement official in the region. After working for 28 years in the Philadelphia police department, he moved to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, where he led the major crimes unit and was instrumental in the arrest and conviction of Fred Neulander, a former Cherry Hill rabbi found to have paid two men to kill his wife, Carol, in November 1994.
“A fine officer was accused of something utterly despicable,” said McMonagle. “Marty spent 45 years trying to right terrible wrongs. He is innocent, and a conviction wasn’t something that was going to happen on my watch.”
McMonagle Perri’s Fortunato Perri, center, and Steven Patton, left, are shown leaving the courtroom after the acquittal.
“The confession obtained in 1991 was absolutely legitimate,” added McMonagle’s partner Fortunato Perri. “We followed the evidence in this case, and we took the evidence where it needed to go, and the jury ultimately agreed.”
Formed in 1995, McMonagle Perri McHugh Mischak Davis is a nationally known criminal defense, personal injury and family law firm based in Philadelphia. The firm consistently litigates high profile cases resulting in acquittals and/or million-dollar awards/settlements. Practice areas include criminal defense, personal injury and family law. For more information, visit www.mpmpc.com or call (215) 981-0999.