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Murdered by Mumia: A Life Sentence of Loss, Pain, and Injustice
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Product Description
The first book to definitively lay out the case against Mumia Abu-Jamal—and those who’ve elevated him to the status of political prisoner
Maureen Faulkner’s husband, Philadelphia police office Danny Faulkner, was shot between the eyes on a cold December night in 1981. Mumia Abu-Jamal was unanimously convicted of the crime by a racially mixed jury based on: the testimony of several eyewitnesses, his ownership of the murder weapon, matching ballistics, and Abu-Jamal’s own confession.
After his conviction, however, a national anti-death penalty movement was started to “Free Mumia;” Mike Farrell, Ed Asner, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jesse Jackson rallied on his behalf, and led the charge. For his part, while on death row, Abu-Jamal published several books, delivered radio commentaries, was a college commencement speaker, found himself named an Honorary Citizen of France, and had his defense coffers enhanced by ticket sales from a sold out (16,000-person) concert featuring Rage Against the Machine.
Here, from Maureen Faulkner and acclaimed talk show host / journalist Michael Smerconish, is the first book to carefully and definitively lay out the case against Abu-Jamal, and those who’ve elevated him to the status of political prisoner. Smerconish, a lawyer, has provided pro bono legal counsel to Faulkner for over a decade and knows both the legal intricacies and personal subtleties of the case like no other person. He’s personally acquainted himself with the more than five thousand pages of trial transcript. “My reading starkly revealed that Abu-Jamal murdered Danny Faulkner in cold blood and that the case tried in Philadelphia in 1982 bore no resemblance to the one being home-cooked by the Abu-Jamal defense team.”
As Abu-Jamal’s lawyers contemplate their final appeal, Faulkner and Smerconish weave a compelling, never-before-told account of one fateful night and the 25-year-long rewriting of history.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #25733 in Books
- Published on: 2007-12-01
- Released on: 2007-12-06
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 368 pages
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In this moving if ultimately unsuccessful memoir, Faulkner continues her fight for the execution of Mumia Abu-Jamal, the man convicted for the 1981 killing of her husband, police officer Danny Faulkner. On the strength of eyewitness testimony, ballistics tests and his own confession at the hospital following the shooting, former Black Panther Abu-Jamal was convicted in 1982 of first-degree murder and has spent 25 years on death row in Pennsylvania. Faulkner details not only her struggle to come to terms with losing her husband at age 25 but also her attempts to counteract the support Abu-Jamal's claim of racial injustice has generated in left-wing circles across the United States and abroad. Faulkner is a staunch defender of the death penalty, especially in cases involving police casualties. She traces Abu-Jamal's numerous appeals, including the latest, currently in the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals, over whether or not a Pennsylvania judge's overturning of the death sentence is grounds for a retrial. Though Faulkner's determined struggle is compelling, her memoir (co-authored by Smerconish, a lawyer and Philadelphia columnist and radio host, and an advisor to Faulkner) awkwardly attempts to combine personal reflections with an examination of the case's legal and political details. This muddled account unfortunately doesn't do justice to an issue that deserves a close look.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
“This is a harrowing book, told with uncommon grace and dignity. Maureen Faulkner is an incredible woman. The story she tells, of being denied for more than a quarter century the dignity of burying her police officer husband in peace, is even more incredible.”
Buzz Bissinger - Author of Friday Night Lights
"The Bible teaches that the truth will set us free, but Michael Smerconish and Maureen Faulkner teach us that even a powerful truth needs courage as its ally."
Chris Matthews - Host of Hardball and the Chris Matthews Show
“Maureen Faulkner is a genuine American heroine. While influential people garner cheap headlines with stories of false injustice, Maureen Faulkner fights behind the scenes and in public to preserve the good name of her husband. This is a real justice story!”
John Timoney, Miami Chief of Police
About the Author
Maureen Faulkner is the widow of Danny Faulkner. She lives in California.
Michael Smerconish is an attorney and host of his own exceedingly popular drive-time radio show in Philadelphia on CBS Radio's The Big Talker (1210 AM WPHT). He has made frequent guest appearances on The Today Show, The O’Reilly Factor, The Glenn Beck Program, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Scarborough Country, and others. He is a regular columnist for both the Philadelphia Daily News and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Customer Reviews
I hope this will finally set the record straight!
Finally! The truth known to a majority of Pennsylvanians about Mumia now sees the light of day! This is in thanks to a courageous woman, her family, and of course Michael Smerconish.
I remember this trial, as well as the whole Mumia and Move saga, and I can tell you that there is no conspiracy! Mumia killed Officer Faulkner on that cold December night, and was fairly tried in a court of law, despite the deliberate disruptions by Mumia himself! The lawyer he wanted, one Joe Africa of Move, is not a lawyer, and therefore cannot represent Mumia in a court of law. The lawyer he ended up with was one that was recommended to him by his family! This fact, and the other facts of the case can be found in this book, as well as the justice4danielfaulkner site, and in the trial transcripts, that his often ignorant supporters refuse to acknowledge!Yes, I called his supporters ignorant, because they are ignorant! This was proven by a local Philly radio station that went undercover at a Mumia rally a few years ago, and found that many of the participants had no idea who they were supporting! They compiled many of the responses of not only of the Mumia supporters at the rally, but also the rally speakers, who acknowledged the ignorance of the crowd. The station not only aired these tapes, but they had a website outlining the case for all to read.
As a Philadelphian, and daughter of a former police lieutenant, I am outraged that this murderer, (who has never offered any other explainations about what happened that night), is still alive, and has garnered support from the many gulliable and ignorant celebrities, politicians, and college students out there! It must be really frustrating for Mrs. Faulkner to constantly have to defend her husband, and the facts against Mumia's supporters. If you want the truth, don't look to Mumia, Weinglass, Pacifico radio, Pam Africa, or Partisan, because they are LIARS!!!
I highly recommend this book to both sides of this Mumia debacle, because I think it is not only an accurate account of the facts of Daniel Faulkner's murder, but also a loving tribute to the man who has been eclipsed by his murderer! Officer Daniel Faulkner and his family are not only the TRUE VICTIMS of this story, but are also the TRUE HEROES! If there are still any Mumia supporters after this book, I will be astonished!
If you guys want a real hero to worship, look towards the courageous men and women of the police, fire, and military! They are the ones who fight for our rights! They even fight for the right to be a moron, which is a characterization that we Philadelphians give to the Mumia supporters!
Jennifer Hoey
Heartbreaker
It had to be done. I read a reviewer state that "Maureen has made a career of Danny's death". If it wasn't for the psychos on the left, she wouldn't have had to write the book in the first place.The whole circus just turns your stomach. The one positive of this whole fiasco, is that 25 years after Dannny's murder we are still talking about him. I highly reccommend this book.
painful
I am a firm believer that Cook murdered a policeman, and I would support any cause against Cook. I thought the book was a hard read, but am glad I read it for the perspective from a very courageous woman and wife of a hero.
