Judge Overturns Death Sentence for Abu-Jamal
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011218/ts/crime_abujamal_dc_3.html
Tuesday December 18 3:03 PM ET
Judge Overturns Death Sentence for Abu-Jamal
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A federal judge Tuesday overturned the death
sentence of former radio journalist and Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal
and ordered a new sentencing hearing for the convicted cop-killer whose
case has been espoused by death-penalty opponents worldwide.
Ruling on a defense petition for a new trial, U.S. District Judge
William Yohn let stand Abu-Jamal's conviction for the murder of
Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner, who was gunned down in the
early morning hours of Dec. 9, 1981.
But the judge gave state prosecutors 180 days to conduct a fresh
sentencing hearing for Abu-Jamal, citing errors in the original
death-penalty phase of his murder trial.
``The short answer is that we're going to appeal,'' said Philadelphia
district attorney's office spokeswoman Cathie Abookire, who predicted
that a new hearing would not move forward anytime soon.
Abu-Jamal, 47, is a political activist whose two-decade imprisonment has
won him comparisons among supporters with South Africa's Nelson Mandela
as a political prisoner victimized by a racist criminal justice system.
But prosecutors say his is nothing more than a violent common criminal.
Abu-Jamal was convicted of murdering Faulkner during a shootout, after
the 25-year-old police officer pulled over his brother for driving the
wrong way down a one-way street. Abu-Jamal, who was wounded in the
chest, contends he was shot while running away.
With dogged backing from a network of supporters who alleged that he was
railroaded into a conviction, Abu-Jamal has repeatedly maintained his
innocence in Faulkner's death and launched numerous legal appeals to
stall his execution.
European opponents of the death penalty and groups including Amnesty
International have long protested Abu-Jamal's planned execution.
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