On July 22, 2025 the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas vacated David Dickson’s conviction and life sentence after prosecutors admitted that they used evidence they knew was false at his trial. That evidence was jailhouse informant testimony from a pair of notorious informants, John Hall and Jay Wochansky, who worked together to testified serially for prosecutors across Pennsylvania. Mr. Dickson was one of nine homicide trials that the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office relied on John Hall. He is the eighth murder conviction to be overturned due to prosecutorial misconduct by notorious prosecutor Roger King.
At Mr. Dickson’s first trial, Prosecutor Roger King presented testimony from Wolchanksy that Mr. Dickson had confessed to him. The jury deadlocked. After trial, John Hall wrote to King and offered that he could improve on Wolchanksy’s testimony. At the second trial, King swapped Hall for Wolchansky, and Hall presented the only direct evidence against Mr. Dickson. King’s misconduct at the trial was so egregious that the court noted that the conviction “would certainly be overturned.” While she was correct, it took 32 years of wrongful incarceration for that to happen.
During those 32 years, Mr. Dickson never once got a disciplinary infraction. He spent his time working and helping others who were incarcerated with their legal work. He is a veteran with over 16 years of service, and was honorably discharged after his wrongful conviction. He had no record before going into prison. His father, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews have stood by his side for decades and are eager to have him back home.