eight to twenty years, and the two found guilty of conspiracy were sentenced to five to ten years. Legacy In the trial's aftermath, the father of Eddie Polec, through a determined letter-writing campaign and intense lobbying effort, tried to sway Pennsylvania's legislators to change how the law defined first-degree murder. And because some members of the defense team had made false and misleading statements during the trial, he hoped for a possible re-ruling. But all these efforts failed, and the Philadelphia District Attorney's office officially closed the case in September 1996. During this same period he turned down the chance to sue the city for $50 million, choosing instead to dedicate himself to ensuring that Philadelphia's Mayor Ed Rendell made good on his promise to upgrade the city's 911 system. And that effort paid off. In exchange for his agreeing not to sue, in September 1998 Philadelphia officially dedicated its all-new 911 Emergency Communication Center, along with far better training for operators. In addition, the father of Eddie Polec became a much-in-demand speaker at church groups and high schools, and he did extensive voluntary work for the non-profit Lost Dreams on Canvas organization that commissions artists to do portraits of children who were killed violently to be displayed at area schools, shopping malls, etc. The Eddie Polec murder case also spurred the formation of the Fox Chase Town Watch Association., with one of the first callers to Philadelphia's 911 system the night of the crime eventually becoming its leader And in 1999 the Los Angeles-based journalist team of Bryn Freedman (the official reporter who covered the Polec murder trial) and William Knoedelseder published a book titled In Eddie's Name: One Family's Triumph over Tragedy, which intimately explored every aspect of what the Polec family went through, with in-depth insights about the murder, investigation, and trial. References 1994 murders in the United States Crimes in Philadelphia 1994 in Pennsylvania 1996 in Pennsylvania History of Philadelphia Incidents of violence against boys