As the 22nd anniversary of the death of Nizah Morris approaches, her advocates are hoping for a modicum of justice in her case.
Morris, 47, was a trans woman who was found by passersby with a fatal head wound at 16th and Walnut streets, shortly after receiving a courtesy ride from Philadelphia police.
The incident occurred during the pre-dawn hours of Dec. 22, 2002. Morris had been drinking at the old Key West Bar and police transported her a few blocks to the vicinity of 16th and Walnut streets.
Morris died two days after her head injury, on Dec. 24, 2002. Her homicide remains unsolved.
The University of Pennsylvania’s Advocacy for Racial and Civic Justice (ARC) legal clinic is working with relatives of Morris to obtain all withheld documents relating to the case stored at the District Attorney’s Office.
“The family just wants answers,” said Cara McClellan, director of ARC. “They want to know what happened to their loved one. The public wants to know what happened to Nizah as well. The family deserves to know the truth and the public deserves transparency and accountability.”
McClellan said ARC recently provided the District Attorney’s Office a list of everything ARC has relating to Morris’ death. She said the DA’s Office repeatedly made commitments to share its Morris documents that ARC doesn’t have, but the agency hasn’t done so yet.
Still, McClellan remains hopeful that a modicum of justice will be obtained for Morris.
Dustin Slaughter, a spokesperson for DA Larry Krasner, issued the following statement: “Our office remains open to releasing documents to the extent that is allowed by law (the Criminal History Record Information Act) in Nizah Morris’ case. We look forward to meeting with the Morris family and their counsel in this matter.”
The city’s Citizens Police Oversight Commission (CPOC) is another venue where justice might be obtained for Morris.
In November 2023, PGN filed a complaint with CPOC alleging that three officers involved in the Morris incident falsified paperwork regarding the courtesy ride and subsequent assault of Morris.
Additionally, one of the officers — Kenneth Novak — wrote an unclear word in his patrol log regarding Morris that police officials have declined to clarify.
The officers’ paperwork conveys that Morris was first seen by police in the 9th police district — instead of the 6th police district where the courtesy ride originated. There was no mention of the ride and the subsequent assault of Morris in the officers’ paperwork — which PGN contends was a deliberate cover-up of the crime.
CPOC has been reviewing the case for more than a year but has urged the community to be patient, noting that such inquiries can take a lengthy period of time.
Asa Khalif, a community advocate, is optimistic the Morris records will be forthcoming from the DA’s Office. Khalif attended a meeting in May 2023 when Krasner promised to release the records, he said.
“We’ve been promised the records and I’m sure the DA’s Office will keep their word,” Khalif told PGN. “I’m very optimistic they will cooperate and release the documents.”
Khalif added: “I just want justice for my friend. We’ll continue to fight for justice. She deserves it.”