Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Francis Oneill and I was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I was the fifth of twelve children. I got married young and had two beautiful daughters. Those were hard times…we were poor.
For the past 28 years I’ve been held in the Pennsylvania state prison system. I’m serving a sentence of 30 to 60 years for third degree murder in Philadelphia County. I am not accused of killing anyone, merely of being present. The confessed killer testified that I had no involvement.
My arrest and conviction were the direct result of a true miscarriage of justice. It was brought about through manipulation, deceit, and false evidence submitted by the prosecution. My incompetent uncaring trial attorney assisted in this injustice. Because of the sensational nature of my case and the public appeal, there was political pressure. A conviction was mandatory. The principles of justice were set aside, denying me the fairness and impartiality assured in other cases.
A black youth had been killed in Philadelphia, apparently by whites. Prior to this, a white youth was killed in the same area, apparently by blacks. After these incidents occurred, another white youth was killed at Bartran High School by black males. As a result, there were riots. Officers were assigned to every corner; there were three and four men motorcycle police patrolling the area, along with officers on horseback. A sizeable reward had been posted. The crime was widely publicized and there was a calamitous public outcry for conviction. Even a Philadelphia Daily News reporter stated that he demanded a conviction. He didn’t care who, he just wanted someone convicted.
All the facts that I am relating to are part of official record. I’m not attempting to say that I’ve never made mistakes or used bad judgments, especially when I was young, but my mistakes should not equal the loss of my life and freedom for something that I did not do.