Judge to decide if Mumia Abu-Jamal gets new trial in officer's murder
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A judge will not rule as to whether convicted killer Mumia Abu-Jamal will get a new trial.
Supporters of Abu-Jamal stood outside the criminal justice center Friday morning as the hearing was underway.
During a hearing back in October, the judge indicated she intends to dismiss his request for a new trial.
Mumia Abu-Jamal has been behind bars for 42 years now.
He is serving a life sentence for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner. He was originally sentenced to death in 1982 after a jury found him guilty.
But after numerous appeals, his death sentence was overturned by a federal court. In 2011, prosecutors instead agreed to a life sentence without parole for Abu-Jamal and he's been a member of the general prison population since then.
The Faulkner family is part of the group trying to keep it that way.
However, the Faulkner family, politicians and law enforcement groups have maintained Mumia is guilty beyond question, his trial was fair, and his sentence is justified.
"I will not give up, I will continue to come to court," Faulkner's wife, Maureen Faulkner, said. "I will keep Mumia Abu-Jamal in prison until he is six feet under. I will do everything I can because that is my conviction."
Groups of supporters were expected to gather outside the criminal justice center to support Abu-Jamal and criticize his case.
"So many different independent investigators found new evidence, several boxes of evidence that hadn't even been reviewed, it becomes clear there was a lot of malplay in this whole situation," activist Rafael Outland, said. "And at this point, we maintain his innocence because he is innocent."
Attorneys have argued his trial was tainted by a biased judge and he deserves a retrial. They also claim there's new evidence of misconduct by police and prosecutors involved in Abu-Jamal's case including bribing star witnesses to testify against him.
The judge's decision was expected Friday, but she expects to deliver a written decision 60 to 90 days from now.
