‘Dennis’ death is not in vain’: The widow of the man killed by an ex-Philly cop finds justice in his conviction

For the widow of Dennis Plowden Jr., the conviction of a former Philadelphia police officer Wednesday on charges of killing her husband was a victory, albeit one drenched in sadness.

It has been a long, tough five years since Officer Eric Ruch Jr. shot Plowden to death. A year passed before the Police Department fired Ruch, two more years went by before the District Attorney’s Office brought charges, and two more years passed after that before the case went to trial. The couple’s son, Darryl, is now 5.

“I feel that this granted some measure of justice,” Tania Bond said Thursday. “Dennis’ death is not in vain. Someone has acknowledged that there was wrong done.”

However, she swiftly added: “There is some justice you will never be able to see. The loss of a parent is a significant loss in a child’s life. Nothing can replace that.”

Ruch, 34, who is white, fatally shot the unarmed Plowden, who was Black, two days after Christmas in 2017, moments after Plowden, 25, emerged dazed from a crashed car after leading police on a chase. The fatal bullet cut through his raised left hand and struck his head as he sat on the curb, his body leaning backward.

Prosecutors sought a third-degree murder conviction, contending that Ruch acted with malice to kill a man in the process of surrendering. The defense focused on Plowden’s left hand, with Ruch, his former partner, and other officers testifying that Plowden had made a motion with that hand that they justifiably thought — even if they turned out to be wrong — suggested he was reaching for a gun.

The racially mixed jury acquitted Ruch of the murder charge but found him guilty of the lesser offense of voluntary manslaughter. Though state law authorizes a maximum sentence of 25 years, advisory punishment guidelines call for someone like Ruch with no criminal record to be sentenced to about five years. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 17.

“Despite the jury not finding him guilty of third-degree murder, for us, the family, a win is a win,” Bond said. “He’s not walking away from this.”

While the jury rejected a murder finding, there is no question that Wednesday’s verdict was a milestone in Philadelphia history. Records are sketchy, but it appears the conviction was an extremely rare event and the most serious ever obtained for an on-duty killing by a city police officer.

Ruch is one of three former police officers charged with murders while on duty since Larry Krasner became district attorney in 2018. Before that, newspaper archives indicate that only seven police officers were charged in connection with fatalities dating back to 1975. All but one of those seven officers were acquitted or had their charges thrown out. The only exception was an officer who pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in 1978 after he shot a 19-year-old in the back as he was running away. The officer was put on probation — and ordered to pay $5,000 for his victim’s funeral.

Since 1975, police have fatally shot more than 400 people in Philadelphia.

A spokesperson for the police union, the Fraternal Order of Police, said Thursday that questions should be directed to Ruch’s lawyers. His defense lawyer David Mischak did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Paul Hetznecker, Bond’s lawyer in a civil suit she brought against the city over her husband’s death, said Thursday that, “Holding police officers accountable for their criminal conduct is essential to a healthy democracy.”

“The jury’s guilty verdict in this case reflects the continuing paradigm shift in our criminal justice system, toward a more equitable system of accountability,” Hetznecker said. “With this verdict the message is clear: Those responsible for enforcing the law are no longer above the law in Philadelphia.”

Last year, the city agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle Bond’s lawsuit.

Bond and Plowden married in 2015. Before her husband’s death, Bond said, Plowden was enrolled in a special program at Northeast High School to assist older students in obtaining a high school degree. Bond said her husband had plans to try to make a career as a house rehabber.

“He was happy about school,” Bond, 35, said. “He was excited about this brand-new baby boy.”

Their son was named after Plowden’s younger brother, who was shot and killed in 2016 in a murder that Bond said remains unsolved.

Bond said that the verdict might deter other unwarranted police gunfire.

“If you are not out there to protect and serve, you should not be out there,” she said. “I think they will take their jobs much more seriously, much more cautiously, and they will know that their actions will be held accountable.”