Abu-Jamal to have new hearing in murder case

By Eric Donovan
Senior Staff Writer
April 2, 2008

Death row inmate and convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal had his death sentence put on hold last week as a three-judge panel ordered the man to have a new sentence hearing, with the option of life imprisonment or death.  

Abu-Jamal was convicted and sentenced to death for killing police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981. The case has become well-known throughout the years by death sentence protesters, who see his sentencing as unfair and wrong.

  Since being placed on death row 26 years ago, Abu-Jamal has written books, been featured in television programs, and has been given honorary degrees from universities for his work against the death penalty.

  Reasons for this week’s ruling were varied, as Abu-Jamal’s case has always been under question. According to reports, Abu-Jamal had dropped off his brother, when he himself got out of the car and ran towards and shot Faulkner. During the incident, Abu-Jamal was also shot and was found by police slumped down on the street.

  Abu-Jamal, however, contends that it was another man, not he, who shot Faulkner. He claims to have been doing paperwork in his car when he saw his brother struggling to walk down the street. He says he got out to help his brother when officers began to fire at him.

  While these stories had not been part of the reason for this week’s ruling, they only add to the controversy surrounding his case. What prompted the rulings were allegations of an unfair trial and sentencing. For the past 25 years, Abu-Jamal has gone through appeal after appeal with the same results.  

Abu-Jamal’s case has always been a source of contention. Beyond the sentencing, critics suggest allegations of a biased jury, comprised of 10 white members and two black members. Reports suggest that prosecutors excluded some jurors from being picked based on the fact that they were black, an allegation that led many civil rights activists to support Abu-Jamal.

  In the coming months, Abu-Jamal is looking at either life in prison or death row once again. It is all contingent on whether the panel’s decision is overturned or if District Attorney Lynne Abraham decides to allow a life sentence. Otherwise, Abu-Jamal would be heading to a new sentencing hearing, where he can present his case once again in the hopes of getting a life sentence.

  Abu-Jamal, a former Black Panther and activist, will find out his fate within the next 180 days.

  Those 180 days will likely be especially taxing on Maureen Faulkner, widow of Daniel Faulkner, who has worked in her husband’s name for the past 25 years, writing books and giving talks about her experience.

This 25-year-old case has taken its toll on the woman, who remarked “It has been such a long time,” in a Philadelphia Inquirer article. Now living on the West Coast, Faulkner seems to have adjusted to a life in the headlines, and she has used it to spread her message and live on behalf of her husband.

  Unsure of what her next move will be in regards to this recent news, Faulkner said in an Inquirer article: “We need to remember the victim. We need to remember Danny lying on the cold pavement, looking into the barrel of a gun. I often think of that and how frightening it must have been for him.”

donovane1@lasalle.edu