Mumia Abu-Jamal
| Mumia Abu-Jamal | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Wesley Cook April 24, 1954 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Activist, journalist |
| Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment without parole |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated |
| Conviction(s) | First-degree murder |
Mumia Abu-Jamal (born Wesley Cook; April 24, 1954) is an American activist and journalist. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1982 for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. After numerous appeals, his sentence was commuted in 2001 to life imprisonment without parole. This was affirmed through appeals in 2011.
Abu-Jamal became involved in black nationalism in his youth and was a member of the Black Panther Party until October 1970. He left the party and became a radio journalist, eventually becoming president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists.
On December 9, 1981, Faulkner was fatally shot while conducting a routine traffic stop of Abu-Jamal's brother, William Cook. Abu-Jamal was found at the scene with a bullet wound from Faulkner's gun and his own discharged revolver a short distance away. He was arrested and charged with Faulkner's murder.
Prosecution witnesses identified Abu-Jamal as the shooter, and two persons testified that he had confessed to shooting Faulkner. A jury convicted Abu-Jamal on all counts and sentenced him to death. He spent the next 30 years on death row. He appealed his conviction and sentence; his conviction was upheld but his death sentence was vacated. He was resentenced to life in prison without parole. District Attorney Seth Williams said in 2011 that the state would not file any additional appeals seeking the death penalty.
Activists, celebrities, and human rights groups have criticized the quality of Abu-Jamal's trial, some have professed his innocence, and many opposed his death sentence. The Faulkner family, public authorities, police organizations, and conservative groups have maintained that Abu-Jamal's trial was fair, his guilt undeniable, and his death sentence appropriate. He was described in 2001 as "perhaps the world's best known death-row inmate" by The New York Times.
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