James Porter

Police Officer Desmond Sherry's Story

UPDATE: Parole was granted for cop killer James Porter and he will be released on August 4, 2021. Per Roberta’s Law, Porter will be under supervision for five years. While we continue to believe Porter’s release does not further the interests of justice, we hope he is rehabilitated and will commit no further crimes. Thank you to everyone who submitted a petition to oppose his parole. Please keep the family of Police Officer Desmond Sherry in your thoughts and prayers. Rest In Peace Officer Sherry. You will never be forgotten.

Husband, Father and Police Officer

Desmond Sherry loved three things in this world: being a devoted husband to his wife, Connie; a dedicated father to his two young children; and Cleveland, Ohio Police Officer. Officer Sherry joined the Cleveland Police Department in 1973 and spent the next five years working various jobs in the sixth district. In 1978, he joined the vice squad. Officer Sherry was a “policeman’s policeman,” according to fellow officers, and by 1980, he had a perfect, unblemished record. One time, he even saved a man’s life when he and a partner pulled the man from a burning car only moments before it exploded.

Officer Sherry’s work with the vice squad took him into very dangerous parts of town on a regular basis. He and his wife, Connie, had talked about the possibility that one day she may have to raise Michael, age 6, and Theresa, age 3, alone. Connie Sherry prayed the topic of that conversation would never happen. Shortly after 2 a.m. on July 3rd, 1980, a street punk would make Connie Sherry’s worst nightmare a reality.

Killed In the Line Of Duty

Officer Sherry left the sixth district precinct at around midnight on July 3, 1980. Before heading home to the suburb of Mayfield Heights, Officer Sherry decided to stop for a drink at a local restaurant. He was talking with several other officers when his wife’s cousin, Vincent Amato, came into the bar. Amato, the Assistant Cleveland Safety Director, had just returned from a fire on the West Side. The two spoke for about an hour and left at the same time.

It wasn’t uncommon for Officer Sherry to check back with sources in the districts he worked before heading home. It is believed that is what Officer Sherry did that night. While driving on Euclid Avenue, Officer Sherry witnessed some suspicious behavior. He pulled his car over to speak with two youths. Officer Sherry was a plain-clothed officer who drove an unmarked vehicle, so the youths likely did not know he was a police officer. The two teens approached the vehicle and intended to rob Officer Sherry. After approaching the car, one of the youths pulled out a gun and shot officer Sherry three times in the neck. The youths called over two friends, pulled Officer Sherry out of the car, stole his wallet and some personal items, and then fled the scene. Officer Sherry was left to die in the street.

Former army combat medic Steve Watson was stopped at a red light on Euclid Avenue when he heard three pops. Watson looked around and eventually saw a man lying on the ground. Watson got out of his car and ran to the man, who was later identified as Officer Sherry. Watson turned Officer Sherry over and checked for a pulse. Watson stated at trial, “I tried to clear his air passage. I felt his pulse. It went from low to just out. He was dead.” The coroner determined the Officer Sherry did not die instantly. He choked on his own blood.

An Informant’s Tip

By the time police arrived on the scene, the suspects were on the run. There was one piece of solid evidence: a fingerprint on Officer Sherry’s vehicle. Based on two witnesses’ accounts, police arrested two men for Officer Sherry’s murder, Nathaniel Wilson and his brother Roger Wilson. The two went on trial for murdering Officer Sherry, however there were two big problems. The witnesses’ testimony was not consistent and they could not link the fingerprint to the suspects. The two were acquitted by a jury. That acquittal was the key to solving Officer Sherry’s murder.

A day after the acquittal, police got a tip from an informant. It is unclear whether this informant came forward because of guilt or because of fear that they would be charged with complicity to the murder of a police officer. The informant identified four youths involved in the murder of officer Sherry. The youths were Marvin Edmonds, Charles Jenkins, Tyrone Sweeney and James Porter. Police knew their information was good when they found one of the teen’s fingerprints matched the one on Officer Sherry’s vehicle.

Cop Killer Gets Life

After their arrests, all four teens, with the exception of James Porter, started talking immediately. Marvin Edmonds told how he and Jenkins were across the street when he heard three shots. He looked up and saw Porter and Sweeney next to Officer Sherry’s car. According to Edmonds’ testimony, “They called us over. Someone opened the car door. I pulled the man out and his billfold fell out along with a cigarette case. I opened the billfold and saw a policeman’s badge. I told the others and we all ran.”

Sweeney also began talking right after his arrest. He immediately identified Porter as the shooter. He said he watched Porter shoot Officer Sherry three times in the neck at point blank range. In exchange for his testimony, Sweeney was allowed to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter and received a 4-25 year sentence.

James Porter went on trial for murdering Officer Sherry. Porter refused to take the stand to defend himself. This was likely to avoid being cross-examined by the prosecutor. Based on the evidence it took a jury only two hours to find James Porter guilty of killing Officer Sherry in cold blood. Porter was convicted of aggravated burglary and aggravated murder, and received a sentence of 27 years to life. At sentencing, Judge Daniel O Corrigan said he wished he could have sentenced Porter to death. Since the death penalty was not an option at that time, the judge said “Life in prison would have to do.”

No Parole

The fact that James Porter shot an innocent man three times in the neck is reason enough to keep him in prison for his maximum life sentence. It makes the crime even worse when the innocent man is a police officer who is trying to protect the community. The only reason Porter did not receive the death penalty for his brutal, senseless crime was because it was not an option at the time of the murder.

When James Porter killed Police Officer Desmond Sherry, he robbed a wife of her husband, two young children of their father and the city of Cleveland of one of its finest officers. At his trial in 1980, Porter refused to speak, and in the 32 years since his trial, Porter has never shown remorse or taken responsibility for his actions. We believe that releasing James Porter would be a slap in the face to the Sherry family and would also pose a serious risk to all law enforcement officers and the community. Based on the brutal, heinous nature of James Porter’s crime, and the fact that Porter has never shown remorse or taken responsibility for his actions, we believe to further the interests of justice James Porter should be required to serve his maximum sentence of life in prison.