Life Sentence for Mumia Abu-Jamal

(New York, NY) -- Today, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office announced that it will not seek another death sentence for Mumia Abu-Jamal.  Pennsylvania law now requires Mr. Abu-Jamal to be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for his controversial 1982 murder conviction in the shooting death of a police officer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), along with Widener Law Professor Judith Ritter, represents Mr. Abu-Jamal in his appeals of the murder conviction and death sentence.  John Payton, Director-Counsel of LDF stated, “The District Attorney did the right thing.  After three long decades, it was time to bring the quest for a death sentence for Mr. Abu-Jamal to an end.”  Prof. Ritter added, “There is no question that justice is served when a death sentence from a misinformed jury is overturned.  Thirty years later, the District Attorney’ s decision not to seek a new death sentence also furthers the interests of justice.”

Mr. Abu-Jamal will be formally resentenced to life without parole in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.  The final sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.

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