---
category: Law Enforcement & Legal
created: 2026-09-23
location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
relations:
- end: 2017
  fn: 2
  role: homicide detective
  type: employed_by
  with: '[[Philadelphia Police Department]]'
- end: 2022-06-01
  fn: 1
  reverse: true
  type: prosecuted
  with: '[[Philadelphia District Attorney''s Office]]'
summary: Philadelphia homicide detective fired in 2017 and convicted in 2022 of sexually
  assaulting witnesses and stealing reward money; dozens of his homicide cases were
  reviewed.
tags:
- Person
- Police
- PoliceMisconduct
- WrongfulConviction
- Philadelphia
updated: 2026-09-23
---

Philip Nordo is a former homicide detective of the [Philadelphia Police Department](/organizations/philadelphia-police-department/), dismissed in 2017, who was convicted on June 1, 2022, of rape, sexual assault, indecent assault, official oppression, stalking and theft by deception, and sentenced in December 2022 to 24 and a half to 49 years in prison. The [Philadelphia District Attorney's Office](/organizations/philadelphia-district-attorneys-office/) said its Conviction Integrity Unit had reviewed about 62 homicide convictions in which he was involved.[^1][^2]

### Conviction

A Philadelphia jury found Nordo guilty of sexually assaulting witnesses in murder cases. The theft count concerned reward money in the murder of the off-duty police officer Moses Walker, which Nordo obtained by falsely claiming that one of his victims had helped solve the case. District Attorney Larry Krasner called Nordo's conduct "jaw-dropping and deeply shameful for the criminal justice system" and said that his office had disregarded strong evidence of misconduct in 2005. Sentencing was set for August 5, 2022, before Judge Giovanni Campbell, and bail was revoked; the sentence of 24 and a half to 49 years was reported on December 16, 2022, the defense having asked for ten years. "This is a terrible abuse of position to coerce and to victimize other people," Krasner said.[^1][^2]

### Reviewed Cases

As of the verdict, according to the District Attorney's Office, five people wrongfully convicted of homicide in cases involving Nordo had been exonerated, two had received reduced sentences and charges, one had been granted a new trial, and four were awaiting rulings; a person wrongfully convicted of firearms offenses had been exonerated in 2017.[^1]

### Civil Suits

Civil-rights suits arising from his conduct include *Thomas v. Nordo*, No. 2:24-cv-04914 in the [Eastern District of Pennsylvania](/organizations/united-states-district-court-for-the-eastern-district-of-pennsylvania/), filed on September 17, 2024, in which [Jerome Brown](/people/jerome-brown/), counsel to [Eugene Horsch](/people/eugene-horsch/) and to [R.C. Horsch](/people/rc-horsch/) in unrelated cases, is counsel of record.[^3]

[^1]: Office of the Philadelphia District Attorney, "Former Homicide Detective Philip Nordo Accused of Sexual Assault, Theft Found Guilty on All Counts," press release, June 1, 2022. https://phillyda.org/news/former-homicide-detective-philip-nordo-accused-of-sexual-assault-theft-found-guilty-on-all-counts/
[^2]: "Former Philadelphia detective Philip Nordo sentenced to 24-49 years in prison," *CBS News Philadelphia,* December 16, 2022. https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/former-philadelphia-detective-philip-nordo-sentenced-to-24-49-years-in-prison/
[^3]: *Thomas v. Nordo,* No. 2:24-cv-04914 (E.D. Pa.), filed September 17, 2024, docket via CourtListener RECAP. https://www.courtlistener.com/?q=%22Thomas+v.+Nordo%22