Katherine Ernst: Krasner "wanted to deflect blame from Stiegler"
Katherine ErnstAssistant district attorney, Philadelphia District Attorney's Office (memo co-signed with Steven Wildberger)
In a memo to Krasner co-signed with Steven Wildberger, Ernst said Krasner's interest in reviewing Jaclyn Mason's other cases was an effort to deflect blame from Stiegler, not to find the truth.
Responding to
Krasner and Stiegler pressured Conviction Integrity Unit prosecutors to blame a departed colleague for errors and to present a false narrative to the court about the DAO's internal handling of Dennis Johnson's habeas petition -- conduct that "is tantamount to a prima facie showing" of false statements, false declarations under oath, perjury, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy.
“You were not trying to get to the truth; you simply wanted to deflect blame from Stiegler.”
Reporting
Other statements by Katherine Ernst in this case
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Where this statement fits
Did Larry Krasner Pressure Staff to Mislead a Federal Judge About a Murder-Conviction Appeal?
A federal judge in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania found that Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and Matthew Stiegler, chief of his office's Conviction Integrity Unit, may have pressured subordinate prosecutors to blame a departed colleague and present a false account to the court about an internal dispute over a 2022 concession in a habeas corpus case, and referred Krasner, Stiegler, and the District Attorney's Office to the U.S. Attorney's Office for investigation. Krasner disputes the judge's findings and says he will appeal.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Philadelphia Inquirer report on a five-page memo from Katherine Ernst and Steven Wildberger to Krasner, and on Krasner's emailed reply. The Inquirer obtained both documents; neither has been published in full. Krasner said he could not comment publicly; Ernst and Wildberger declined to comment.
Before the quotation
Krasner's September 29 declaration said Stiegler's proposed "sentinel review" of Mason's other cases could get to the truth, and that Law Division supervisors may have opposed it out of fear. Ernst and Wildberger's memo, quoted by the Philadelphia Inquirer, disputes that account. It precedes this sentence with "We heard your words, and we saw your demeanor."
After the quotation
The memo says Krasner's filings contained misrepresentations about both prosecutors and that they would resign unless he corrected them by the end of Tuesday, October 6.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Ernst says Krasner sought to shift blame from Stiegler onto Mason, which asserts the conduct the case examines. That is a direct criticism of it, so the label is condemns.
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The Dispute Index. "Katherine Ernst: Krasner "wanted to deflect blame from Stiegler"". First published: 2026-10-06. Last updated: 2026-10-06. https://disputeindex.com/events/4967-in-a-memo-to-krasner-co-signed-with