Jury selection has begun in the trial of a Bucks County man who is charged with murder in the death of Temple University Police Officer Christopher “Fitz” Fitzgerald.
Miles Pfeffer, now 20, allegedly shot Fitzgerald on Feb. 18, 2023, when Fitzgerald tried to stop an off-campus robbery. Fitzgerald, 31, suffered wounds to his head, face and chest, according to court records.
While District Attorney Larry Krasner is not seeking the death penalty, Pfeffer could face life in prison if convicted. Pfeffer, of Buckingham, was also charged with murder of a law enforcement officer and weapons offenses.
The prosecution will be led by Assistant District Attorney Bob Wainwright, chief of the homicide division.
Among the most powerful pieces of evidence is video of the shooting that shows the assailant standing over Fitzgerald’s prone body and firing additional shots to his head and face.
The horror and high profile of the case drew the attention of the U.S. Congress, bringing the House Judiciary Committee to Philadelphia to hold a rare, remote hearing last year.
At that hearing, the victim’s father, Joel Fitzgerald, once a Philadelphia police officer and now chief of police for the Denver Regional Transportation District, laid the blame for his son’s death at Krasner’s doorstep.
“[These] weak prosecutorial efforts that have happened in this city have basically eviscerated a once-noble police department,” Fitzgerald said.
An effort to impeach Krasner failed in the state legislature last year. In May, Krasner won the Democratic primary and is all but certain to sail to victory for a third term as he faces no Republican challenger.
Krasner’s refusal to seek the death penalty for Pfeffer was an issue in the 2024 state representative race for the Fox Chase and northeast sections of Philadelphia that pitted Republican Aizaz Gill against Democrat Sean Dougherty. Dougherty prevailed.
Gill called for Krasner to be impeached again, saying, “Krasner’s latest failure to stand up to a cop-killing criminal is more proof he needs to be impeached if we want to make Philadelphia safe.”
“This decision was made after extensive input over many hours from the family of Officer Fitzgerald and from experts,” Dustin Slaughter, a spokesman for Krasner said at the time. “The members of the District Attorney’s Office (DAO) committee that considers possible death penalty matters include attorneys with a cumulative total of hundreds of years of homicide and other criminal trial and appeal experience.”
The Rev. William Devlin, an advocate for slain police officers, plans a prayer service Wednesday, June 25, at 10 a.m. at the Criminal Justice Center at 1301 Filbert Street in Philadelphia.
“We will be praying, and we will attend the trial of the assassin of this brave, slain Temple University police officer. I invite all good people to join with me as we gather together this Wednesday,” said Devlin.
Common Pleas Judge Glenn Bronson is presiding.
