Krasner Staffer Who Shot & Killed Prostitute Gets Slap On Wrist

By Ralph Cipriano
for BigTrial.net

Back on Oct. 20, 2020, DeVonte' Douglass, then the district attorney of Philadelphia's gun violence coordinator, got into trouble for firing his own 9 mm gun. 

According to police, the trouble started when Douglass agreed to have "a sexual encounter in exchange for money" with Vernon Harris, a 29 year-old male prostitute that Douglass met on Instagram.

When the two men met for their scheduled 10 a.m. tryst near the Mount Peace Cemetery, it ended with the proverbial bang after Douglass whipped out his 9 mm pistol and shot Harris to death. 

Douglass told police that after the sex was over, Harris pulled out a gun and tried to rob him. But when the cops showed up at the crime scene, they found that Harris's gun, a Smith & Wesson .357 magnum, was still tucked inside his waistband. 

It could have been a murder rap, but fortunately for Douglass, he works for Larry Krasner. And Krasner  seems to have some kind of deal going with state Attorney General Josh Shapiro to go light on the D.A.'s employees whenever they screw up.

And over at Larry Krasner's D.A.'s office, they seem to screw up a lot. 

After the A.G.'s office investigated the case, they decided that Douglass, 29, of Manayunk, wasn't exactly honest with them, but nevertheless, he wasn't a  murderer. 

“After a thorough investigation into the fatal shooting of Vernon Harris on October 20, 2020, the Office of Attorney General has determined Devonte’ Douglass acted in self defense when he fired his weapon and will not be charged with homicide," a spokesperson for the AG's office declared on Feb. 25, 2021.

However, the spokesperson said, "Mr. Douglass was arrested and charged for other crimes surrounding Mr. Harris’ death, including soliciting for prostitution and misleading investigators about the facts surrounding the fatal shooting.” Douglass was also charged with possession of an instrument of crime.

But on Dec. 21st, according to court records, the generous state attorney general's office negotiated a plea bargain with Douglass that allowed him to plead guilty to a charge of promoting prostitution, and agree to a sentence of probation for a maximum of 12 months.

In exchange, that generous D.A.'s office agreed to drop the charges of possession of an instrument of crime, and filing a false report.

Attempts to do further reporting on this story were met with a wall of silence.

Senior Deputy Attorney General Christopher Phillips, who negotiated the plea bargain with Douglass, did not respond to a request for comment.

Douglass's lawyer, Shaka Johnson, did not respond to a request for comment. 

And finally, a spokesperson for state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who's seeking the Democratic nomination for governor, also did not respond to a request for comment.

Maybe the spokesperson was offended because I asked if A.G. Shapiro had indeed stuck some sort of deal with D.A. Krasner to go light on his in-house miscreants.

As a member of the District Attorney's Immediate Response Team, DeVonte' Douglass routinely visited crime scenes, hospitals, and the medical examiner's office when there was a homicide, to offer help to victims' families. 

Douglass was also fond of male prostitutes. 

After Douglass's encounter with Harris, which took place in the back seat of a car, Douglass told police, Harris stood outside the vehicle and pointed a gun at Douglass, and demanded all his money.

Harris, according to Douglass, then placed his gun inside his waistband. But when Harris started reaching around the vehicle, Douglass told police that he feared that Harris was going to take out his gun and shoot him. So Douglass drew his gun and shot Harris twice in the chest, killing him. Then he ran across Lehigh Avenue, pleading for someone to call police. 

Police recovered a 9 mm gun registered to Douglass. 

Douglass, wearing his DA's ID badge around his neck, was transported to the homicide unit. Then, the case was turned over to the attorney general's office for investigation because the D.A.'s office had an obvious conflict of interest. Douglass was placed on administrative leave. But now, after his plea bargain, maybe Krasner will take him back.

This isn't the first time the AG's office under Josh Shapiro has gone easy on a Krasner staffer accused of breaking the law.

On May 11, 2020, Assistant District Attorney Dana Bazelon was arrested and charged with child endangerment after the cops founder her four year-old daughter alone in a locked Ford Fusion. The cops had to wait 34 minutes until Bazelon showed up to check on her kid. 

But she got another pass from the A.G.'s office.

In February 2021, a spokesperson for the AG's office stated that "Following her arrest, Dana Bazelon successfully completed ARD conditions requested by the Commonwealth, including participating in parenting counseling and remaining arrest-free for six months. As a result, the Commonwealth withdrew the charges against her today."

Bazelon wasn't the only Krasner ADA who got a pass from the A.G.'s office after being accused of breaking the law.

On June 16, 2020, a woman who billed herself as a "stripper, model & e-slut," went on her Twitter account and publicly accused her ex-boyfriend, Assistant District Attorney Joseph Torda, of assault, breaking and entering, and burglary.

The case was referred to the AG's office. And a spokesman for the AG's office confirmed that on Nov. 4, 2020, the AG declined to file criminal charges in the case of the alleged burglary.

When he campaigns for governor, let's hope that Josh Shapiro doesn't try to pass himself off as a law and order candidate.