Philly man exonerated of arson murder after spending nearly 40 years behind bars
PHILADELPHIA - A man who officials say was wrongfully convicted for a deadly house fire nearly four decades ago is finally free.
Harold Staten was found guilty of arson murder after one man was killed, and three others were injured during a house fire in North Philadelphia in October 1984.
An investigation by the fire marshal at the time found that the fire was intentionally set in the vestibule by an "open flame applied to an accelerant."
However, a chemical analysis showed no accelerant was detected in floorboard samples the following day.
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No arrests were made in connection to the fire until 1986, when a 17-year-old witness came forward and told detectives she saw Staten at the door of the house the night of the fire. She previously said she never saw him, according to a report from the DA's Office.
Staten was convicted that October after testimonies from the fire marshal and teen witness, who admitted to using cocaine the night of the fire.
Officials say the judge noted the conflicting testimonies, and stated that the case was not "easy."
However, Staten was found guilty of arson, second-degree murder and other related charges, and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
"Information undermining the 17-year-old's credibility would be uncovered years later," the DA's office said.
In 1988, her roommate testified that she came home from a disco on the night of the fire so "drunk, pissy drunk" and "really intoxicated… very intoxicated" that she had to be carried upstairs to her bed.
Both her roommate and Staten’s trial investigator also testified that she admitted to lying about Staten’s involvement after being taken to lunch by police officers.
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A review of Staten's case began in 2022 after a new Post Conviction Relief Act petition was filed on Staten’s behalf by the Pennsylvania Innocence Project in 2020.
In 2023, a forensic investigation concluded that the fire marshal's origin and cause determinations were "not supportable under modern fire investigation standards," and that the cause of the fire should be considered undetermined, not arson.
Staten was exonerated Monday after the Court of Common Pleas vacated his conviction and granted the DA's motion to withdraw all charges against him.
"A review of Mr. Staten’s conviction, which included a report from a former ATF Special Agent and Certified Fire Investigator, led us to conclude that there is little credible information that could stand up his murder conviction today."