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Death Penalty Dropped Against Mumia Abu-Jamal

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TheDemSocialist

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Prosecutors on Wednesday abandoned their 30-year pursuit of the execution of convicted police killer Mumia Abu-Jamal, the former Black Panther whose claim that he was the victim of a racist legal system made him an international cause celebre.
Abu-Jamal, 58, will instead spend the rest of his life in prison. His writings and radio broadcasts from death row had put him at the center of an international debate over capital punishment.
Flanked by Officer Daniel Faulkner's widow, Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams announced his decision two days short of the 30th anniversary of the white policeman's killing.
He said continuing to seek the death penalty could lead to "an unknowable number of years" of appeals, and that some witnesses have died or are unavailable after nearly three decades
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Source at: Death Penalty Dropped Against Mumia Abu-Jamal : NPR I believe this man is innocent. I believe that this man needs to be out of jail. He deserves another trial. This is great strides in the case.

Thoughts?
Comments?
Response?
 
He was found guilty. Improper Jury instructions on the penality phase seems to be the reason for dropping the death penalty.
Nothing in the article provided any evidence that he is innocent.
 
My question is this..... What the HELL has the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections been doing for the last 30 years; waiting for an engraved invitation to off this guy? Executions should be carried out within weeks, if not days of the sentence being handed down. These people shouldn't have time to get comfy with the mattresses in their cells, nevermind wait 30 years.
 
TheDemSocialist said:
I believe this man is innocent. I believe that this man needs to be out of jail. He deserves another trial. This is great strides in the case.

Thoughts?
Comments?
Response?
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Why do you think he's innocent?
 
I am opposed to the death penalty and I abide by the decision of the jury that found Jamal guilty. I think this is a good decision, and it should have been done years ago. As a Catholic I believe that arbitrary ending of a humans life when that person is no longer a danger to others is wrong. However, Jamal has become an international celebrity because of his death sentence and received undeserved accolades as a result. A bad man has become a martyr.
 
Khayembii Communique said:
A confession is when the accused admits to the court. This is called hearsay, genius.
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Dude, that's not hearsay.

Hearsay would be if I said "Bob told me Khayembii likes Pepsi". I don't know where Bob got his information, and I'm just relaying it.

A confession is just that, "I did X". Anyone who witnesses the statement can attest to its factual existence.
 
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Samhain said:
Dude, that's not hearsay.

Hearsay would be if I said "Bob told me Khayembii likes Pepsi". I don't know where Bob got his information, and I'm just relaying it.
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You're right, my bad. But j-mac is still wrong in that a witness testifying to an alleged confession is not a confession.
 
Khayembii Communique said:
You're right, my bad. But j-mac is still wrong in that a witness testifying to an alleged confession is not a confession.
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I think you are confusing the documentation when a defendant writes out his confession. In both cases, the confession must be witnessed by another party, and additional evidence is required to substantiate the confession.

In this case, given the evidence presented at trial, it would seem that the facts support the statement witnessed at the hospital.
 
TheDemSocialist said:
Source at: Death Penalty Dropped Against Mumia Abu-Jamal : NPR I believe this man is innocent. I believe that this man needs to be out of jail. He deserves another trial. This is great strides in the case.

Thoughts?
Comments?
Response? [/FONT][/COLOR]
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"Prosecution case at trial

The prosecution presented four witnesses to the court. Robert Chobert, a cab driver who testified he was parked behind Faulkner, identified Abu-Jamal as the shooter.[33] Cynthia White, a prostitute, testified that Abu-Jamal emerged from a nearby parking lot and shot Faulkner.[34] Michael Scanlan, a motorist, testified that from two car lengths away, he saw a man, matching Abu-Jamal's description, run across the street from a parking lot and shoot Faulkner.[35] Albert Magilton, a pedestrian who did not see the actual murder, testified to witnessing Faulkner pull over Cook's car. At the point of seeing Abu-Jamal start to cross the street toward them from the parking lot, Magilton turned away and lost sight of what happened next.[36]

The prosecution also presented two witnesses who were at the hospital after the altercation. Hospital security guard Priscilla Durham and Police Officer Garry Bell testified that Abu-Jamal confessed in the hospital by saying, "I shot the mother****er, and I hope the mother****er dies."[37]

A .38 caliber Charter Arms revolver, belonging to Abu-Jamal, with five spent cartridges was retrieved beside him at the scene. He was wearing a shoulder holster, and the shell casings and rifling characteristics of the weapon were consistent with bullet fragments taken from Faulkner's body.[38] Tests to confirm that Abu-Jamal had handled and fired the weapon were not performed, as contact with arresting police and other surfaces at the scene could have compromised the forensic value of such tests.[39][40]"



I believe the mother ****er should fry.
 
Doesn't really matter that we ain't killing him. Dead or life in prison, the same for all the rest of us. Plus it's cheaper, so yay for saving money!
 
It is interesting how some will turn things around. The original OP stated he believed the person is innocent, yet never provided proof. Yet when we say he was guilty and was found so from the trail, we are to prove it? Yes, there are innocent people in jail. Though this thread is about a single case not all case. So unless someone can show Jamal is innocent, I stand by the findings of guilt.

what is wrong is he has been sitting on death row for 30 years.
 
mike2810 said:
It is interesting how some will turn things around. The original OP stated he believed the person is innocent, yet never provided proof. Yet when we say he was guilty and was found so from the trail, we are to prove it? Yes, there are innocent people in jail. Though this thread is about a single case not all case. So unless someone can show Jamal is innocent, I stand by the findings of guilt.

what is wrong is he has been sitting on death row for 30 years.
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I agree. I understand that there should be adequate time for appeals, but 30 years?!?!?!?!
 
ChuckBerry said:
....As a Catholic I believe that arbitrary ending of a humans life when that person is no longer a danger to others is wrong......
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As a TAXPAYER, I believe that wasting the State's money keeping this guy incarcerated for life when a $10 length of rope or a $0.50 bullet will suffice to mete out his punishment is INSANE.
 
Tigger said:
As a TAXPAYER, I believe that wasting the State's money keeping this guy incarcerated for life when a $10 length of rope or a $0.50 bullet will suffice to mete out his punishment is INSANE.
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you don't live in Pennsylvania, so its not your money.
 
Thunder said:
you don't live in Pennsylvania, so its not your money.
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True, but the principle is the same; and I know a number of PA residents who think the same way I do on this. The fact that it takes ANY State or the Feds DECADES to execute someone is a complete and utter joke. Here's how I feel the system should work....

1. Individual is convicted of Capital Crime and sentenced to Death.
2. State Supreme Judicial Court MUST review the case within 10 days (not business days). If no error is found in the proceedings, the Defense is then asked if they want to appeal to the SCOTUS.
3. If SCOTUS appeal is requested, the SCOTUS is required to rule on whether they'll hear the case or not within one month.
4. If SCOTUS decides not to hear the case, execution occurs within 24 hours.

At the most this means there is a roughly six week period that a guilty individual remains on death row. At the end of that time either their case is thrown out, the sentence is reduced to life, or they're carted away in a pine box.
 
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Tigger said:
As a TAXPAYER, I believe that wasting the State's money keeping this guy incarcerated for life when a $10 length of rope or a $0.50 bullet will suffice to mete out his punishment is INSANE.
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Well you yourself appear quite insane as well, so I don't know if it's saying something. If a crazy person thinks something is crazy, does that make the something sane?

Regardless, the process is as it is and in jail for life, or dead by the hands of State; it's the same thing to the rest of us.
 
Ikari said:
Well you yourself appear quite insane as well, so I don't know if it's saying something. If a crazy person thinks something is crazy, does that make the something sane?
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Wow, I know I should be used to this kind of posting from you, as well as others on this board, but do you really think that dialogue that begins with such vitriolic laced venom, as calling the person you are addressing 'insane' is going to bring forth anything other than bickering, and one upping as far as response? In fact I would say that it borders, if not crosses the line of trolling, and being jerkish, both of which are non starters and makes one wonder why you even bother to post if this is all you have.

Regardless, the process is as it is and in jail for life, or dead by the hands of State; it's the same thing to the rest of us.
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Would you feel the same if Officer Faulkner was say your brother?

j-mac
 
j-mac said:
Wow, I know I should be used to this kind of posting from you, as well as others on this board, but do you really think that dialogue that begins with such vitriolic laced venom, as calling the person you are addressing 'insane' is going to bring forth anything other than bickering, and one upping as far as response? In fact I would say that it borders, if not crosses the line of trolling, and being jerkish, both of which are non starters and makes one wonder why you even bother to post if this is all you have.
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Was there a point to any of this, or do you just feel like playing Mod here?

j-mac said:
Would you feel the same if Officer Faulkner was say your brother?

j-mac
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of course I would feel the same as the statement does not become false under this pretense. You're just trying to elicit emotional response.
 
Ikari said:
Regardless, the process is as it is and in jail for life, or dead by the hands of State; it's the same thing to the rest of us.
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Wow. You must really be doing well to be more than happy to put that much extra tax money in the hands of the State of Colorado and the Federal Government to house these worthless wastes of flesh and oxygen.

You apparently have three current members of Death Row in Colorado. At a guestimate of $25K a year (probably much more) for the next 20 years, that's $1.5 million to incarcerate versus $1.50 to execute. Gee, I don't see any difference there.
 
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