Philly DA Krasner to fight new Mumia Abu-Jamal appeal

Abu-Jamal is serving life without parole after his death sentence was thrown out over flawed jury instructions. He was convicted of killing a Philadelphia police officer.

A group of two dozen activists briefly blocks traffic during a rally outside the Philadelphia district attorney’s office in December. The group is urging District Attorney Larry Krasner not to challenge a Common Pleas Court ruling that allows Mumia Abu-Jamal to file an appeal of his murder conviction. (Bastiaan Slabbers for WHYY)

A group of two dozen activists briefly blocks traffic during a rally outside the Philadelphia district attorney’s office in December. The group is urging District Attorney Larry Krasner not to challenge a Common Pleas Court ruling that allows Mumia Abu-Jamal to file an appeal of his murder conviction. (Bastiaan Slabbers for WHYY)

Philadelphia’s top prosecutor will fight a decision that gives former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal a new appeals hearing in a 1981 police slaying.In a Friday filing, District Attorney Larry Krasner said he will challenge an order that would revive the high-profile case. The 64-year-old activist is serving life without parole after his death sentence was thrown out over flawed jury instructions.He has now been granted a new appeals hearing because of a Supreme Court ruling that said a former Pennsylvania justice who heard his appeal had a potential conflict of interest.

Krasner has tangled with the city’s police union since taking office last year, especially over pleas that spared two men the death penalty in a 2015 police slaying.

Abu-Jamal, a taxi driver and radio reporter, was convicted of killing Patrolman Daniel Faulkner after the policeman pulled over his brother in an overnight traffic stop. Abu-Jamal became an international celebrity through his writings and recordings from death row on the U.S. justice system.

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