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3 homicide investigators face civil case by acquitted man

In 2014, Kareem Alleyne was acquitted of killing an off-duty Philadelphia police officer by hitting him with his car. On Monday, Alleyne's lawyers told a jury that he never should have been charged with vehicular homicide in the first place.

Kareem Alleyne, 35, was charged with vehicular homicide and involuntary manslaughter after allegedly driving his car into a bicycle ridden by Officer Marc Brady.
Kareem Alleyne, 35, was charged with vehicular homicide and involuntary manslaughter after allegedly driving his car into a bicycle ridden by Officer Marc Brady.Read morePhiladelphia Police Department

In 2014, Kareem Alleyne was acquitted of killing an off-duty Philadelphia police officer by hitting him with his car.

On Monday, Alleyne's lawyers told a jury that he never should have been charged with vehicular homicide in the first place.

They said police investigators overlooked or downplayed damning evidence against their deceased colleague, including that the officer, Marc Brady, had been stalking and harassing Alleyne for dating his ex-girlfriend.

"They had made up their minds," said lawyer Lori Mach. "They had decided before [completing] their investigation" to charge Alleyne.

That explosive allegation began a civil trial of three veteran homicide investigators, Detectives George Pirrone and James Pitts, and Lt. Philip Riehl.

Mach said Alleyne's 2012 arrest was unlawful and had caused a series of ongoing challenges for the 38-year-old East Mount Airy man, including mental anguish and difficulty finding a steady job.

But Brock Atkins, a lawyer for the officers, said the investigation into the fatal accident was guided by the evidence, and he denied that the officers built a case slanted in Brady's favor.

Atkins said the officers had considered the contentious history between Brady and Alleyne, and argued that investigators believed Alleyne's statements about the July 2012 incident conflicted with the physical evidence.

Brady died after riding his bicycle into Alleyne's car outside the East Mount Airy home of Romora Glenn, Brady's former girlfriend, whom Alleyne was dating at the time.

Alleyne subsequently was charged with vehicular homicide and involuntary manslaughter, but the charges were thrown out for insufficient evidence by a Philadelphia judge in the middle of Alleyne's trial in 2014.

Alleyne, a former bank teller, seeks unspecified damages in his suit against the officers, charging false arrest and malicious prosecution. The trial is scheduled to continue Tuesday.

cpalmer@phillynews.com

215-854-2817 @cs_palmer