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Thursday, January 14, 2010

FBI, DA to review Harrison case

Just when you thought you'd never see the words "Marvin Harrison" and "shooting" in the same sentence again ...

The Inquirer linked earlier today to an exhaustive article in the new issue of GQ that retells the 2008 North Philly shooting that was linked to Harrison, the once-great Indianapolis Colts wide receiver.

As someone who covered that case extensively, I can't say there's much in the way of new information. The author of the GQ article, Jason Fagone, tells the story well, albeit mainly from the view of Robert Nixon, the second man who claimed he was wounded by Harrison in 2008.

I made a few calls tonight, for the hell of it, and found that there are two new developments in the old case, although neither is earth-shattering:

The FBI is working with Philadelphia homicide detectives to review a 2008 shooting that was linked to former NFL star Marvin Harrison, authorities said tonight.
The case seemed to have reached a controversial end point last January, when then-District Attorney Lynne Abraham declined to press charges against Harrison, who was accused of wounding two local men, Dwight Dixon and Robert Nixon.
Dixon claimed Harrison shot him in the hand after the two tussled near a North Philadelphia garage Harrison owned on April 29, 2008.
Nixon claimed he was wounded in the back by a stray bullet that was fired from Harrison’s gun. Both men filed civil lawsuits against Harrison, the once-prolific Indianapolis Colts wide receiver.
Ballistics evidence proved shell casings at the crime scene had been fired by Harrison’s Belgian-made firearm. Still, Abraham declined to press charges, citing numerous conflicting and contradictory statements made by Harrison, Dixon and Nixon.
Dixon was riddled with gunfire on July 21 in Fairmount, two blocks away from Harrison’s bar, Playmakers. He died Sept. 4; the case is unsolved.
Special Agent J.J. Klaver, an FBI spokesman, said agents are reviewing the 2008 case with police. Detectives were told several weeks ago to prepare the original case files to be reviewed by new District Attorney Seth Williams, a source said.

So there you have it. The wild card here is Williams, who would send shockwaves through the city -- and certainly the sports world -- if he decided to take his chances in court and criminally charge Harrison, something Abraham was unwilling to do.

 
Posted by David Gambacorta @ 11:51 PM  Permalink | 6 comments
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:18 AM, 01/15/2010
    The fact that the original case was just thrown out, period, is just another in a long line of pathetic dealings in the DA office. Along with a new DA, you need a whole new staff.
    — GalRand
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:12 AM, 01/17/2010
    Seth Williams has his chance to show his true colors in this single case. We'll soon see if what he's really made of -- action to get justice, or words and fluff.
    — CleanupPhilly
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:05 AM, 01/17/2010
    CleanupPhilly... I'm more interested in how he'll address "The Rendell Murders"/the STATE PAROLEE INFESTATION OF KILLADELPHIA. If he's the Real Deal, he'll do what Lynn Abraham did when that poor little girl was starved to death and convene a Grang Jury. He knows that there are over 20 STATE PAROLE and DOC Personnel that would give sworn testimony regarding the release of 2,000 Prison Inmates per month AND not returning them to Prison for serious PAROLE VIOLATIONS SINCE 2003. Look at all the STATE PAROLEE MURDERS AND RAPES just within this last year...2 COPS MURDERERED this last month alone! Remember poor SGT McDonald... his Murderer Giddings was released with over 500 days "In the Hole" and kicked out of 2 PRISONS for Prison Violations to include running a cell theft ring, being part of an extortion ring, trying to get prison staff assaulted, etc. Let's concentrate on what Pennsylvania Chief Justice Castille called "the right people off the street". Williams can lock up all the STATE PAROLEES he wants...with Rendell releasing 2,000 Prison Inmate per month and Parole Board Chairman McVey refusing to issue arrests warrants to send them back for serious Parole Violations (like guns, drugs, violence, etc.) since 2003... we haven't even started to BLEED YET! Remember the bottomline line in the INQUIRER series on Courts, Bail, Witness Intimidation and Guns = STATE PAROLEES.
    — John Law
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:08 AM, 01/17/2010
    GranD Jury...sorry :-)
    — John Law
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:49 AM, 01/18/2010
    Then tell us why Lynn didn't prosecute.
    — FJG JR


6 comments
About The PhillyConfidential team

Dana DiFilippo has covered murder, mayhem and miscellany at the Daily News since 2000. She grew up in Delaware County and studied journalism and photography at Penn State University. E-mail tips to difilid@phillynews.com.

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Stephanie Farr has been reporting for the Daily News since 2007, covering everything from gay porn stars who entered the burglary business to moon trees, skinheads, murders and naked bike rides. She covers crime, both in the city and suburbs, and keeps clippings of bizarre Associated Press articles. Her favorite this year was the story about the drunk in Punxsutawney who gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a dead opossum. E-mail tips to farrs@phillynews.com.

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Phillip Lucas joined the Daily News crime team in 2011. He grew up on the mean streets of Seattle and studied journalism and psychology at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Before landing in the City of Brotherly Love, Phillip was a reporter for The News Journal in Wilmington, Del. Email tips to lucasp@phillynews.com.

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Morgan Zalot is the newest crime reporter at the Daily News, starting in 2011 after interning at the paper twice as a Temple University journalism student. In her past stints at the DN, she covered just about everything, from drunken Phillies fans to a barber shop in a high school to a grisly murder-suicide. She’s a born-and-raised Philly girl who grew up in the Northeast. E-mail tips to zalotm@philly.com.

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