Mumia Abu-Jamal’s journey through the American death penalty system began on December 9, 1981, when he was arrested and charged with capital murder in the shooting death of a police officer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Six months later, he was tried, convicted and sentenced to death for this crime. In the years that followed, Abu-Jamal’s case attracted national and international attention; recorded remarkable victories and painful losses; and came to symbolize the failure of the American capital punishment system. A review of this historic case offers a glimpse into the evolution of the American death penalty over three decades.
