Black Panther Mumia Abu Jamal no longer faces death penalty
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Source: CNN"Philadelphia prosecutors have dropped their pursuit of the death penalty against Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted of fatally shooting a police officer nearly three decades ago.
Abu-Jamal will instead serve a life sentence in prison, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Abu-Jamal had been sentenced to death for the 1981 killing of Philadelphia police Officer Daniel Faulkner, but a federal appeals court in April declared the death sentence unconstitutional, ruling that the jury instructions at Abu-Jamal's original 1982 murder trial were unclear.
His attorneys have repeatedly argued that confusing jury instructions and the verdict form given to the jury favored a death sentence instead of life in prison.
The April appeals court ruling does not grant Abu-Jamal a new trial, so his conviction of murder stands. Last month, the state Supreme Court rejected a request from the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office to overturn the federal appeals court decision, meaning Abu-Jamal would get a life prison sentence unless the district attorney decided to seek another death sentence from a new jury.
Witnesses testified that Abu-Jamal shot Faulkner in the back and head after the officer pulled his brother over during a late-night traffic stop. He was wounded in the encounter and later confessed to the killing, according to other testimony.
Abu-Jamal has been on death row at a state prison in southwest Pennsylvania, where he's been an outspoken activist from behind bars - claiming there were procedural errors during his capital sentencing, and that too few blacks were on the jury.
The case has attracted international attention, amid charges of prosecutorial misconduct. Abu-Jamal, a former Black Panther and onetime radio reporter and cab driver, has been a divisive figure, with many prominent supporters arguing that racism pervaded his trial.
Others counter Abu-Jamal is using his race to try to escape responsibility for his actions. They say he has provoked community unrest for years with his writings and advocacy."
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This is good news, assuming that's what he wants.
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i remember when i was really young even here in europe they wrote everywhere free mumia abu jamal
but damn dude is still in jail
good ? on the death penalty drop tho -
People been trying to get this man off Death Row for decades.
Silent, EPIC win. -
*applauds*
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Truth Writer wrote: »People been trying to get this man off Death Row for decades.
Silent, EPIC win.
Yezzir, white folk mad as hell on my newsfeed. He still got life in prison though with no parole -
For sure a win..
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the craziest part is this dude right here:Flanked by the police Officer Daniel Faulkner's widow, Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams announced his decision Wednesday. "There's never been any doubt in my mind that Mumia Abu-Jamal shot and killed Officer Faulkner. I believe that the appropriate sentence was handed down by a jury of his peers in 1982," said Williams, who is black. "While Abu-Jamal will no longer be facing the death penalty, he will remain behind bars for the rest of his life, and that is where he belongs." (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
smh at this, even if you think he might be guilty, there is no need to go over the top like this...but maybe he had to do it, to keep whitey calm -
I am not very up on this case. My basic understanding is a cop stops Abu-Jamal younger brother in a traffic stop. Mumbia is nearby in his cab. He moves over to the stop and shooting occurs. Mumbia is found at the scene with a holstered revolver. He is shot and the cop is shot. Bullets retrieved from the cop match Mumbia's gun. I can not find Mumbia's story as to what happened. Did the cop over react to mumbia's presence and fire first?
