United States v. Philip Epps

Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit·Decided August 21, 2026·No. 24-2542·Published

Opinion

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT

No. 24-2542

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Appellant

V.

PHILIP EPPS, A/K/A PHILLIP EPPS

Appeal from the U.S. District Court, D. Del.

Chief Judge Colm F. Connolly, No. 1:23-cr-00030-001

Before: PORTER, FREEMAN, and CHUNG, Circuit Judges Argued Oct. 22, 2025; Decided August 21, 2026

OPINION OF THE COURT

FREEMAN, Circuit Judge. When the jury in Phillip Epps’ criminal trial reported a deadlock, the District Court gave a supplemental instruction that included the following language: “I understand you . . .are unable to come to a unanimous decision, but you have to.” App. 463–64. That

language was incorrect. But Epps did not lodge an objection, and the jury later returned a guilty verdict.

Two weeks after the verdict, Epps sought a new trial because of the flaw in the supplemental instruction. The District Court granted a new trial, and the government now appeals. For the reasons that follow, we will REVERSE the District Court’s order granting Epps a new trial and REMAND for further proceedings.

I.

In February 2023, police in New Castle, Delaware, arrested a woman who was selling drugs from a motel room. A search of her motel room and her person yielded heroin and fentanyl in packets bearing “Papa Smurf” and “Skull Crusher” stamps.

That same day, the woman agreed to become a confidential informant (“CI”) for the police. She told police that her drug supplier drove a white SUV and would be delivering more drugs to her at to the motel that evening. She gave police the phone number the supplier used to communicate with her (the “Supplier Phone Number”), and police monitored the CI’s calls as she spoke with a male who used the Supplier Phone Number and arranged for a delivery of cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl.

That evening, the male using the Supplier Phone Number made regular calls to the CI. As police surveillance units waited near the motel, officers listened to the male give the CI updated arrival times as read from his GPS. When the male said he was two minutes away, the surveillance units went

on high alert. The officers saw a white SUV pull into the motel’s parking lot at the arrival time the male had predicted. The CI called the Supplier Phone Number, and the male who answered said, “I’m here. I will be right in.” App. 109. Police then approached the white SUV and arrested its only occupant: Epps.

During the arrest, police seized two iPhones from Epps’

person. One of the iPhones (the “Supplier Phone”) was associated with the Supplier Phone Number.

Police placed Epps in the back of a police car while they searched the white SUV. During the search, the police car’s video camera recorded Epps making the following statements:

Fuck man. I’m going to jail. I’m in jail. I got locked up, man, that’s my karma, man. . . .

Oh, my gosh you don’t got the fucking key [unintelligible] to get in there. . . .

I’m fucked. They set me up. Got me out here in Delaware man. They know where it’s at. They know it’s right there. They know it’s there. Fuck. They know it’s there.

I got to make bail. [Unintelligible] thirsty [unintelligible] doing crazy

shit that I ain’t supposed to be doing.

App. 528–29.

The search recovered Epps’ Pennsylvania identification card, the lease for his apartment in Pennsylvania, and registration and insurance cards in Epps’ name for the white SUV. Police also spotted a “trap”—a locked aftermarket compartment—in the SUV. After towing the SUV to the police station, police opened the trap and found two firearms, ammunition, about $15,000 in cash, a digital scale, assorted drug paraphernalia, and drugs in a variety of packages. The smaller packages of drugs bore “Papa Smurf” and “Skull Crusher” stamps. Testing later revealed that the drugs marked “Papa Smurf” contained fentanyl and other substances, while the drugs marked “Skull Crusher” contained fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and other substances.

II.

A grand jury returned an indictment charging Epps with three counts: (1) possession with intent to distribute cocaine base, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1), (b)(1)(C); (2) possession of a firearm by a person prohibited, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) & 924(a)(8); and (3) possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i). Epps proceeded to a jury trial on Count 1 and on the possession and interstate-commerce elements of Counts 2 and 3.

After the jury was selected, the District Court gave preliminary instructions and stated the following about unanimity:

[Y]our verdict will have to be unanimous. All of you will have to agree on it or there will be no verdict.

In the jury room when you deliberate, you’ll discuss the case among yourselves, but, ultimately, each of you is going to have to make up your own mind. And this is a responsibility that you cannot avoid, and you should do your best, all right?

App. 25–26. It also instructed the jury that it must decide the facts based on the evidence presented and apply the law given by the court to those facts.

Over the course of one full day and into the next morning, the government presented the evidence summarized above, plus testimony about the iPhones found on Epps’ person. A forensic analysis showed that the Supplier Phone was used to exchange the calls that the police monitored between the CI and her supplier. The Supplier Phone also contained WhatsApp conversations with third parties about purchasing large quantities of drug additives—the same additives that were used in the bags of drugs labeled “Papa Smurf” and “Skull Crusher.”

Additionally, the Supplier Phone included a lengthy WhatsApp conversation with a contact named “Bags.” That conversation showed that someone using the Supplier Phone sent Bags the image of a Papa Smurf logo and asked Bags to print that logo on white bags and ship them to an address in Pennsylvania. The user wrote, “Also, friend, can we agree that no one else will be able to use my logo, please?” App. 288. A government witness testified that stamps on drug packaging serve as branding that connects the drugs with the trafficker.

Finally, the user of the Supplier Phone sent selfies that appeared to be photographs of Epps.

Epps presented no evidence in his defense.

During closing arguments, defense counsel argued that the government had not met its burden of proof. Defense counsel pointed out that the CI never identified or provided a description of Epps as her supplier. He also argued that no physical evidence connected Epps to the guns, drugs, and money found in the SUV.

When the District Court delivered its final instructions, it said the following about unanimity: “Whatever your verdict is, it will have to be unanimous. All of you have to agree on it, or there will be no verdict.” App. 429. It also instructed that each juror “will have to make up his or her own mind.” App. 429–30. And it told the jury:

[I]t’s your vote, your individual vote, and don’t ever change your mind just because other jurors see things differently or just to get the

case over with. It’s important for you to reach a unanimous agreement, but only if you can do so honestly and in good conscience.

App. 453. It provided printed copies of its final instructions to the jury.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

United States v. Philip Epps, (3d Cir. 2026).

United States v. Philip Epps (United States v. Philip Epps) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Jenkins v. United States
380 U.S. 445 (Supreme Court, 1965)
Lowenfield v. Phelps
484 U.S. 231 (Supreme Court, 1988)
United States v. Olano
507 U.S. 725 (Supreme Court, 1993)
United States v. Quiles
618 F.3d 383 (Third Circuit, 2010)
United States v. Lynwood Burley
460 F.2d 998 (Third Circuit, 1972)
United States v. Robert E. Brennan
326 F.3d 176 (Third Circuit, 2003)
United States v. Anthony Jackson
443 F.3d 293 (Third Circuit, 2006)
United States v. Ashley Andrews
681 F.3d 509 (Third Circuit, 2012)
United States v. Maury
695 F.3d 227 (Third Circuit, 2012)
United States v. Kelly
539 F.3d 172 (Third Circuit, 2008)
United States v. Stewart
185 F.3d 112 (Third Circuit, 1999)
United States v. Tiesha Henderson
64 F.4th 111 (Third Circuit, 2023)
United States v. Tahjair Dorsey
105 F.4th 526 (Third Circuit, 2024)