This week marks the 21st anniversary of the death of Nizah Morris. She was a trans woman of color who was found with a fatal head wound shortly after receiving a so-called “courtesy ride” by Philadelphia police in the Gayborhood.
The ride given to Morris occurred during the pre-dawn hours of Dec. 22, 2002. After her head wound, Morris lingered for 64 hours before passing away at 8:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Her family and friends continue to mourn her death.
Although Morris’ death is technically listed as a homicide, in June 2018 a Philadelphia judge termed her death a “murder. Whether it’s considered a homicide or a murder, it remains unsolved.
But hope looms on the horizon because the Philadelphia Police Department recently opened a new Internal Affairs probe of the incident. Also, the city’s Citizens Police Oversight Commission (CPOC) has agreed to monitor the police department’s new probe.
Background of the case
On the evening of Dec. 21, 2002, Morris attended a Christmas party at the old Key West Bar near 13th and Walnut. By 3:07 a.m. the next morning, Morris was inebriated and couldn’t stand or walk without assistance, according to a 911 call placed on her behalf.
Officer Elizabeth Didonato arrived at the scene and said she’d take Morris home. (A few minutes earlier, Didonato had driven past Morris and told her to be more modest in her appearance, according to a witness.) With the help of three onlookers, Morris entered Didonato’s vehicle, supposedly for a ride home.
Didonato said she transported Morris about four blocks to 15th and Walnut — where Didonato said she thought Morris lived. However, 15th and Walnut is in a business district and Morris actually lived three miles away in West Philadelphia.
At 3:25 a.m. a flurry of 911 calls were made by motorists at 16th and Walnut, stating that Morris was lying unconscious in the street, bleeding from the head. Officer Thomas Berry arrived at the scene and allegedly spoke to paramedics for a lengthy period of time before placing a jacket over Morris’ face as she clung to life.
Morris died two days later, at 8:30 p.m. Dec. 24, in Jefferson Hospital. Her family wasn’t summoned by police, thus they were unable to be at her side when she passed away.
Police announce new investigation
On Sept. 29, 2023, the Philadelphia Police Department announced a new Internal Affairs investigation of the Morris case. A prior investigation, which concluded in 2005, hadn’t taken a close look at the paperwork submitted by officers who responded to Morris. The new probe was spurred by several questions posed by PGN regarding the officers’ paperwork.
Two months later, on Nov. 28, 2023, PGN filed a formal complaint with CPOC, seeking civilian oversight of the new police probe. PGN’s complaint alleges that responding officers abused their authority and falsified documentation regarding the Morris incident.
The officers cited in PGN’s complaint are Didonato, Berry and Kenneth Novak — another officer who was dispatched to investigate Morris.
The officers allegedly submitted paperwork that concealed the so-called “courtesy ride” given to Morris. Their paperwork includes multiple patrol-log entries and an official police report that allegedly were falsified. One patrol-log entry written by Novak contains a reference to Morris that’s indecipherable, according to PGN’s complaint.
This week, police spokesperson Sgt. Eric Gripp said the indecipherable patrol-log entry and other aspects of the case remain under investigation. “The internal investigation remains ongoing,” Gripp wrote in a Dec. 19 email.
Family and friends continue quest for justice
Danielle Kramer, a niece of Morris, said the family continues to hold out hope that her aunt’s homicide will be solved.
“She [Morris] was such a beautiful and loving joy to be around,” Kramer said in an email. “She lit up the room with her presence. She was so generous of her beautiful spirit and positive energy. I am still amazed to this day as I meet so many new people that she shined her beautiful light on and helped in so many positive ways. The loss is immense and we will miss her and appreciate the time we had with her forever.”
The Morris family “will never give up” pursuing justice, Kramer added.
Asa Khalif, a friend of Morris and a longtime community advocate, pledged to closely monitor the new police probe into Morris’ death.
“Nizah was a magnificent person,” Khalif told PGN. “But she was also a very marginalized member of society. It’s quite possible that whoever killed Nizah has much more power in society than she did. It’s my job to empower advocates, until we finally get justice for Nizah. I will always love her and will continue to fight — because that love prods me forward.”