A judge overturned the conviction of a man accused of shooting and killing a Philadelphia police officer more than a decade ago due to the case’s connection to a disgraced police detective who sexually assaulted witnesses and informants.
NBC10’s newsgathering partner KYW Newsradio first reported that the murder conviction of Rafael Jones was overturned on Monday, Aug. 3, 2026. NBC10 later obtained the court document confirming the overturned conviction.
On Aug. 18, 2012, Philadelphia Police Officer Moses Walker Jr. was walking to a North Philadelphia bus stop in the early morning while off duty. As he walked, two men – later identified by investigators as Rafael Jones and Chancier McFarland – shot and killed him in an attempted robbery, police said.
Jones and McFarland were arrested days later and both pleaded guilty in Walker’s murder. McFarland was sentenced to life in prison in 2014 while Jones was sentenced to life in prison in 2015.
On Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, more than a decade after Jones’ sentencing, a judge overturned his conviction, according to court documents obtained by NBC10.
According to KYW Newsradio, the judge ordered a new trial for Jones after determining the case was connected to disgraced former Philadelphia police detective Philip Nordo.
In 2022, Nordo was sentenced to 24.5 to 49 years in prison following a 2019 grand jury report that accused him of grooming male victims during ongoing investigations and engaging in conduct to make the men “more susceptible to his sexually assaultive and/ or coercive behavior.”
In the case of Officer Walker’s murder, Nordo met with McFarland’s cousin after investigators determined he had a similar car to the one seen fleeing the scene after the shooting, according to prosecutors.
During questioning, Nordo threatened to rape the man who ultimately told investigators McFarland had a similar car to him, according to prosecutors.
McFarland’s cousin later received $20,000 from Philadelphia’s homicide reward money and said that Nordo falsely wrote up the paperwork, claiming his tip led police to McFarland and Jones, according to KYW Newsradio. The judge who overruled Jones’ murder conviction said Nordo sat in on Jones’ confession. That confession was never used in the original trial, however, according to the judge.
Officials have not yet revealed if McFarland’s conviction would be overturned as well or the date for Jones’ new trial.
