Two years after the Eighth Ward Democratic Committee urged the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office to refer the Nizah Morris case to the state Attorney General’s Office for review, neither agency has replied.
The Eighth Ward is a political subdivision — largely in Center City west of Broad — that serves as a conduit to party leadership. It’s also a source of information during campaigns and elections.
In 2002, Morris was found by passers-by in the Eighth Ward with a fatal head wound, shortly after a “courtesy ride” from Philadelphia police. Her homicide remains unsolved.
About 30 Eighth Ward committeepeople attended a meeting in March 2014 and voted unanimously to support a state probe of Morris’ death. In May of that year, on behalf of the Eighth Ward, state Sen. Lawrence M. Farnese Jr. (D-First Dist.) sent a letter to D.A. Seth Williams and Attorney General Kathleen Kane, urging a state probe of the Morris case.
Farnese’s letter requested that Williams refer the Morris case to Kane, and that Kane accept the referral. But so far, neither agency has replied to Farnese’s letter.
“We are currently reviewing our correspondence records to determine what occurred regarding this letter,” said Jeffrey A. Johnson, a Kane spokesperson. “If we conclude that further action is necessary, we will take that step.”
Johnson said the A.G.’s Office in 2013 determined there wasn’t a need to become involved in the Morris case.
“It was determined that no conflict existed that would have required a referral of the case to our office,” Johnson said in an email. “Speaking generally, many of the [A.G.] office’s investigations are the result of formal referrals made by district attorneys throughout the commonwealth. We review each referral thoroughly as we decide the appropriate course of action.”
A spokesperson for Williams had no comment for this story.
Charles P. Goodwin, an Eighth Ward committeeperson, questioned whether it’s usual for a state senator’s letter to go unanswered.
“Are letters from state senators often neglected?” he posed.
Farnese’s letter encouraged cooperation between Williams and Kane.
“We urge the commonwealth to conduct a fair, thorough and outside investigation into the death of Nizah Morris,” the letter stated. “We urge D.A. Williams to request that investigation and to give his full support and cooperation to it.”
Farnese’s letter didn’t suggest that local officials engaged in any wrongdoing in the Morris case.
“We have full confidence in the police and District Attorney’s Office,” the letter noted. “Our confidence, however, is not shared by all. The concern of our fellow citizens, many in the LGBT community, prompts us to request further investigation.”
Other groups calling for a state probe of the Morris case include Jewish Social Policy Action Network, Mazzoni Center, Police Advisory Commission, American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, Human Rights Campaign, GALAEI: A Latin@ Social Justice Organization, William Way LGBT Community Center, National Center for Transgender Equality, Philadelphia FIGHT, National LGBTQ Task Force, GLAAD, Gay and Lesbian Lawyers of Philadelphia, Equality Pennsylvania, Keystone Progress, LGBT Elder Initiative, Pennsylvania Youth Congress, PFLAG and National Organization for Women, state and local chapters.