Skip to comments.
[Mumia] Abu-Jamal case back before Philadelphia court (nearly 30 years after he killed a cop)
Yahoo! News (AP) ^
| 11/09/2010
| Maryclaire Dale
Posted on 11/09/2010 5:19:23 PM PST by Pyro7480
Police widows and supporters of death-row activist Mumia Abu-Jamal listened Tuesday as federal appeals judges debated whether the former Black Panther deserves a new sentencing hearing in a police officer's death.
The appeals court had granted the new sentencing hearing on the grounds that the jury at Abu-Jamal's 1982 trial was not given proper death-penalty instructions. But the U.S. Supreme Court this year, in rejecting a similar Ohio case, ordered the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges to rethink its decision.
Under Pennsylvania law, Abu-Jamal should have received a life sentence if a single juror found the mitigating circumstances outweighed the aggravating factors in the slaying of Officer Daniel Faulkner.
In 2008, the three-judge appeals panel found the verdict form potentially misleading, given its repeated use of the word "unanimous," even in the section on mitigating circumstances. But the Supreme Court, as Senior Judge Robert Cowen noted Tuesday, "pooh poohed" that reasoning.
Nonetheless, the judges still seemed to see significant differences between the Abu-Jamal and Ohio cases.
"This court already agreed with (our argument), and it seems to me that they don't see any reasons to change their minds," Judith Ritter, a law professor who represents Abu-Jamal, said after the hourlong hearing.
Philadelphia prosecutor Hugh J. Burns Jr., though, called the jury instructions in the two cases nearly identical.
"They were never told they had to be unanimous on each mitigating circumstance," Burns said of the Abu-Jamal case....
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; News/Current Events; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: danielfaulkner; deathpenalty; mumia; pennsylvania; philadelphia
It's amazing we're still discussing this case and that Mumia still draws breath.
1
posted on
11/09/2010 5:19:31 PM PST
by
Pyro7480
To: Pyro7480
A society that cannot quickly execute a proven cop killer is well on its way to the trash-heap of history.
And the morons who come out supporting Mumia, my God, what a bunch of stinking, utterly stupid creeps. Where's the bolt of lightning?
2
posted on
11/09/2010 5:27:11 PM PST
by
GregoryFul
(Obama - Jim Jones redux)
The forgotten victim
3
posted on
11/09/2010 5:29:08 PM PST
by
A.A. Cunningham
(Barry Soetoro is a Kenyan communist)
To: Pyro7480
Correct me if I'm wrong, but as far as I know, Mumia never even claimed he
didn't shoot Danny Faulkner. Never explicitly denied that he did it.
And of course never repented.
Right?
It blows my mind that the Bruderhof people are still supporting him. Not from a pacifist, "in principle against capital pubnihsment" thing --- that I could understand --- but actually "poor Mumia, good Mumia, noble Mumia."
I shake my head.
4
posted on
11/09/2010 5:29:30 PM PST
by
Mrs. Don-o
(La paciencia todo lo alcanza.)
To: Pyro7480
FREE MUMIA!...from this mortal coil.
5
posted on
11/09/2010 5:29:42 PM PST
by
70times7
(Serving Free Republics' warped and obscure humor needs since 1999!)
To: Pyro7480
He is the best argument for a “one appeal an out” law. If a mistake is made, let God sort it out.
6
posted on
11/09/2010 5:30:02 PM PST
by
doc1019
(Martyrdom is a great thing, until it is your turn.)
To: Pyro7480
7
posted on
11/09/2010 5:30:23 PM PST
by
Drango
(NO-vember is payback for April 15th)
To: Pyro7480
According to William Ayers this cop killer is merely a political prisoner.
8
posted on
11/09/2010 5:32:29 PM PST
by
Carley
(WE SAW NOVEMBER FROM OUR HOUSE)
To: Pyro7480
Is that why we haven’t been seeing mouthy Marc Lamont Hill, recently?...
9
posted on
11/09/2010 5:35:44 PM PST
by
Freddd
(CNN is down to Three Hundred Thousand viewers. But they worked for it.)
To: Mrs. Don-o
Me too. He’s a cop killer for crying out load! Fry Mumia!
10
posted on
11/09/2010 5:39:11 PM PST
by
Inyo-Mono
(Had God not driven man from the Garden of Eden the Sierra Club surely would have.)
To: Pyro7480
To: Pyro7480
Fry Mumia
12
posted on
11/09/2010 6:00:33 PM PST
by
reg45
To: Pyro7480
Fry Mumia
13
posted on
11/09/2010 6:00:42 PM PST
by
reg45
To: Freedom4US
Mumia Abu-Jamal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mumia Abu-Jamal (born Wesley Cook on April 24, 1954)...
14
posted on
11/09/2010 6:00:59 PM PST
by
Mrs. Don-o
(La paciencia todo lo alcanza.)
To: Pyro7480
Don't expect Mumia to ever be executed. The fact is, Pennsylvania has the death penalty, but never uses it. Ever. I think the last person we executed was serial killer Gary Heidnik, and that was only because he asked to be executed. We have just too many arrogant judges and lawyers here in PA who believe their view of the law trumps the Legislature.
15
posted on
11/09/2010 6:10:30 PM PST
by
Big E
To: Pyro7480
16
posted on
11/09/2010 6:23:18 PM PST
by
Bronzy
(We Remembered In November.)
To: Pyro7480
Light that m*********** up!
To: Owl_Eagle; brityank; Physicist; WhyisaTexasgirlinPA; GOPJ; abner; baseballmom; Mo1; Ciexyz; ...
18
posted on
11/09/2010 7:44:38 PM PST
by
Tribune7
(The Democrat Party is not a political organization but a religious cult.)
To: Big E
Don't expect Mumia to ever be executed. The fact is, Pennsylvania has the death penalty, but never uses it. Ever. Exactly right...
To: Pyro7480
all moslems are terrorists
20
posted on
11/15/2010 5:23:21 PM PST
by
John O
(God Save America (Please))
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson