Defendant in Murder-by-Firebomb Case Unable to Get New Trial

An alleged conflict of interest an attorney had when representing a defendant in a Philadelphia gang murder trial never materialized, and there was therefore no reason to vacate the defendant’s conviction, the Third Circuit said Tuesday, affirming the lower court’s ruling.

Kidada Savage argued that her trial lawyer had a conflict of interest that violated her right to effective assistance of counsel. She said that her attorney, Christopher Phillips, who previously worked in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, had been assigned to another murder case in 2003 to prosecute her brother, Kaboni Savage, and a different co-defendant.

Kidada wasn’t entitled ...