Cop’s Widow Reacts to Third Circuit Court of Appeals Granting Convicted Murderer Mumia Abu-Jamal a New Sentencing Hearing

(Thursday, March 27th, 2008)

For Immediate release -- Maureen Faulkner, widow of slain
Philadelphia Police Officer Danny Faulkner, released the following
statement in response to today's U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals'
decision granting Mumia Abu-Jamal -- the man convicted in 1982 of
cold-bloodedly gunning down her husband -- a new sentencing hearing:

 "Today, after 26 years of waiting, my family and I can finally say that
Mumia Abu-Jamal is officially a 'murderer.' No longer can Abu-Jamal's
minions pronounce that he was wrongly convicted or that his trial was
unfair in any way. While Abu-Jamal's life may be spared due to a legal
technicality -- the wording on a standardized jury form -- all of his
arguments about judicial bias, prosecutorial misconduct and police
malfeasance have been rejected as lies and nonsense by the second-highest
and most impartial court in the land. In the end they have ruled that
Abu-Jamal is a common killer who is guilty of murdering my husband. While
we still hope to one day see Mumia Abu-Jamal executed for the heinous and
cowardly crime he committed, we are heartened by the decision made today by
the Third Circuit Court, bringing my family and me one giant step closer to
the end of this painful journey. There will undoubtedly be more appeals and
more ridiculous claims made by Abu-Jamal and his band of attorneys, but we
are committed to staying the course until we are finally afforded the
closure promised to us by a jury 26 years ago."

 Maureen Faulkner -- along with co-author Michael Smerconish -- recently
penned the New York Times best-selling book, Murdered By Mumia: A Life
Sentence Of Loss, Pain and Injustice (The Lyons Press), as a vehicle to
definitively present the facts of the case along with her personal side of
the story.

 Adds Smerconish, "The federal courts have firmly rejected every single
argument advanced over a quarter century by Abu-Jamal as to his proclaimed
innocence. Now, he will never get out jail. I am disappointed only in that
this decision rejects the jury's wish as to sentencing based on a
technicality. The idea that life or death for a cop killer should rest on
how many words removed 'mitigating' was from 'unanimous' on the jury form
is asinine."

Both authors' proceeds from the book were donated to the nonprofit
organization, Justice For Police Officer Daniel Faulkner, which provides
educational grants to Philadelphia children whose parents were the victims
of murder.

 

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On December 9, 1981, at approximately 3:55 a.m., Officer Danny Faulkner, a five year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, made a traffic stop at Locust Street near Twelfth Street. The car stopped by Officer Faulkner was being driven by William Cook. After making the stop, Danny called for assistance on his police radio and requested a police wagon to transport a prisoner. Unbeknownst to him, William Cook's brother, Wesley (aka Mumia Abu-Jamal) was across the street. As Danny attempted to handcuff William Cook, Mumia Abu-Jamal ran from across the street and shot the officer in the back. Danny turned and was able to fire one shot that struck Abu-Jamal in the chest; the wounded officer then fell to the pavement. Mumia Abu-Jamal stood over the downed officer and shot him four more times at close range, once directly in the face. Mumia Abu-Jamal was found still at the scene of the shooting by officers who arrived there within seconds. The murderer was slumped against the curb in front of his brother's car. In his possession was a .38 caliber revolver that records showed Mumia had purchased months earlier. The chamber of the gun had five spent cartridges. A cab driver, as well as other pedestrians, had witnessed the brutal slaying and identified Mumia Abu-Jamal as the killer both at the scene and during his trial. On July 2, 1982, after being tried before a jury of ten whites and two blacks, Mumia Abu-Jamal was convicted of murdering Officer Danny Faulkner. The next day, the jury sentenced him to death after deliberating for two hours. The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania heard the defendant's appeals and upheld the conviction on March 6, 1989.

Click here see the crime scene map.

Officer Danny Faulkner joined the ranks of those courageous officers who have given their lives to keep our nation's streets safe and free. Danny and his wife, Maureen, had been married only slightly more than a year. Now, she was left a widow with only her memories of the young officer to comfort her and dreams of the life they could have shared together. Danny and Maureen Faulkner are the real victims of that horrible night in December, 1981. It is for them that we seek justice and the reason this site stands strong today. Please visit the many places on this site put together to help create awareness. Remember to spread the word.


If you have questions regarding the site or its content please contact "Justice for Daniel Faulkner" at the following email adddress: support@danielfaulkner.com. This website is hosted and maintained by Memory Waves Business.