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OVERVIEW OF AFFIDAVITS Mumia Abu-Jamal's new legal team filed a series of affidavits and documents in May, 2001 including three affidavits/ declarations that deal directly with what happened on December 9, 1981. Documents filed include: declarations from Mumia himself; his brother William Cook; Arnold Beverly: who has confessed to the shooting and is ready to testify in court; an article from the Philadelphia Inquirer about Police corruption quoting a now known FBI informant, Donald Hersing, and his sworn statement; and a declaration from Philadelphia Tribune reporter Linn Washington regarding his account of the unprotected crime scene shortly after the incident. (Also see "May 4 Press Release" and "NEW LAWYERS FILE AFFIDAVITS: MUMIA DIDN'T DO IT" article)
Mumia & his brother state - Mumia is innocent: In their
declarations, both Mumia
and his brother, William
Cook,
tell what happened in the early morning hours of Dec. 9, 1981 for the
first time. They explain in their statements why they have not related
this information before.
Man confesses to shooting:
Arnold
Beverly
says that he killed the police Officer Faulkner. In his declaration, Beverly
explains that he was hired to shoot Faulkner because the policeman was
interfering with corruption and graft within the police department. The
defense asked Judge Yohn for permission to take a deposition of Arnold
Beverly when they filed the his statement. The prosecution has objected.
The legal team states in their response,
If the District Attorneys Office believed its own representation Lie detector test corroborates Beverlys confession: Noted polograph expert Charles R. Honts, Ph.D. reported in his affidavit that Arnold Beverly verbally confessed to him and submitted himself to a polygraph examination and audio taping of the session with him. Dr. Honts stated that Mr. Beverly wanted the polograph to show that he did shoot the policeman but would not say so on tape, during the test. Dr. Honts conducted the lie detector test and and concluded that Arnold Beverly was telling the truth when he said Mumia was innocent and Beverly was lying when he said no to the question did he, Beverly, shoot the officer. In response to the lie detector showing that he lied when he said no, Mr Beverly stated, Good, maybe now they will believe me. See Excerpt of Affidavit: Report of polygraph examination of Arnold Beverly.
Informant describes rampant police corruption: Donald
Hersing, who worked for the FBI (1981-'82) also provided an
affidavit. He describes Crime scene unguarded: Linn Washington, writer for the Philadelphia Tribune, tells us in his declaration that only a few hours after the incident, the crime scene at 13th & Locust was left completely unguarded in contrast to normal procedure he had routinely witnessed on his beat as crime reporter. We already know about the failure of regular police procedures in this case: no regular tests, bullets "lost," etc. Washington's statement reinforces this picture of a frame-up by police who knew full well Mumia was not the one who shot Officer Faulkner. Prosecution seeks to deny Mumia counsel of choice: In a move reminiscent of Mumias trial, The D.A. is objecting to Mumias selection of pre-eminent British Barrister Nick Brown as a member of his defense team. Attorneys from other nations are routinely admitted to practice before American Courts. The only issue is whether an attorney is qualified. Mr. Brown is highly qualified, and, perhaps, too qualified for the District Attorney. Members of the new legal team for Mumia Abu-Jamal are Marlene Kamish of Chicago, Eliot Grossman of Los Angeles, British Barrister Nicholas R.D. Brown, and local counsel is Philadelphia attorney J. Michael Farrell. See Press Release and Defense Response Brief . (On July 5, 2001 An order issued by Judge Yohn admits British attorney Nick Brown into federal court as one of Mumia's attorneys. The prosecution's attempt to deny Mumia council of his choice was not successful!) Educate & Mobilize: Our protests need to be redoubled during this crucial time in Mumia's case. Although Arnold Beverly has confessed, Mumia Abu-Jamal, an innocent man, remains in prison! RELEASE
MUMIA ABU-JAMAL! Write to Mumia! Mumia Abu-Jamal, The July 15, 1984 Philadelphia Inquirer article is forthcoming. |
Download Brochure
(pdf format,
140k)
Brochure: includes declarations of Mumia Abu-Jamal, Arnold Beverly, Terri-Maurer-Carter,
Yvette Williams, William Cook, and short update as of Feb 2002