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On Dec. 28, 2000, four men clad in black ski masks entered a row house at 816 N. Lex St. and forced its ten inhabitants to lay face down on the floor of the home.  The men then released a spray of gunfire that killed seven, ages 15 to 54, and injured three.  The killings, the deadliest mass murder in Philadelphia history, became known as the Lex Street Massacre.  Police arrested Jermel Lewis, 25, Hezekiah Thomas, 25, Sacon Youk, 22, and Quiante Perrin, 21, in connection to the killings.  Following his arrest Lewis confessed to the crime due to "a combination of misinformation [and] coercion."  Lewis may also have been on drugs that day, making him more vulnerable.

Yvette Long, a surviving victim, initially told police she could not identify any of the assailants.  However, after sessions with a psychiatrist, she testified that she recovered her memory of the night and named Youk and Perrin as shooters and identified Thomas by a nickname.  Another man, Shihean Black, repeatedly confessed to the crime, but police dismissed his confessions.  Originally police believed that the murders were committed as part of a dispute over drug territory.  However, Black's story was that a drug dealer who lived at the house had ruined the clutch on Black's car, and that the murders were committed in retaliation.  Another individual corroborated Black's story, and charges were dropped against the four men after they spent 18 months in prison.  The four men later sued the city and won a $1.9 million settlement for wrongful incarceration.  Another four men, including Black, later pleaded guilty to the homicides.  A book was written about the case entitled The Lex Street Massacre by Antonne M. Jones. [7/05]

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