Mumia Abu-Jamal Escapes Death Penalty, Widow Wishes ‘Hell’ on Him
Mumia Abu-Jamal, the famed ex-Black Panther imprisoned for the death of police officer Daniel Faulkner, is no longer on death row,
Prosecutors in the case made the decision Wednesday.
In a press conference, Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams and widow Maureen Faulker spoke on their feelings about the case, with Faulker condemning Abu-Jamal to “the lowest dimension of hell.”
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The 58-year-old outspoken activist will, instead, spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole for the shooting of the Philadelphia cop on Dec. 9, 1981. A jury convicted Abu-Jamal for his crime, sentencing him to death, but subsequent appeals in Pennsylvania Supreme Court, federal appeals and re-sentencing hearings had delayed proceedings for 30 years.
It was Williams who made the final decision to discontinue pursuit of Mumia Abu-Jamal for the death penalty.
“It’s time to put this case to rest for the good of the city of Philadelphia, and most importantly, the family of Daniel Faulker,” Williams said in the statement.
The lawyer cited the reasoning behind his choice, detailing some of the exhaustive legal undertakings placed on the state, and the need for closure of the case in general.
Williams also admitted that after the 30 years of hearings and trials, original “eyewitnesses have died or become unavailable,” making future prosecutions even tougher than before.
Faulkner, the widow of the long-deceased officer, expressed her sentiments, as well as the harshest words she could find for her husband’s killer.
“I am heartened by the thought that he will… begin living among his own kind - the thugs and common criminals that infest our prisons,” she said.
She also stated that although Abu-Jamal has avoided death all these years, her solace came from the “ultimate judge,” who she claimed would eventually sentence the ex-Black Panther to “the lowest dimension of hell.”
Despite Williams’ and Faulkner’s certainty concerning Abu-Jamal’s guilt, many others - including celebrities, activists, and foreign public figures - are not.
Supporting the inmate’s cause is the NAACP, various labor unions, Amnesty International, politicians, and many others. Abu-Jamal has even been made an honorary citizen of more than 20 cities globally, such as Copenhagen, Montreal and Paris, where a street was named after him.
Abu-Jamal has always said he was innocent, although he did not publicly speak out on the events that led to his conviction until 20 years later, in 2001. Allegations of ineffective counsel, the credibility of witnesses and Abu-Jamal’s participation in the Black Panther Party from 1969 to 1970 have all contributed to the questioning of his original sentence.
