(The following is a short description of the final morning compiled by Clark Kissinger, based on press reports and conversations with the attorneys.)
Defense attorneys were order back into court on July 1 by Judge Sabo after Len Weinglass had already left for New York. The purpose of a final session seemed to be to allow Judge Sabo to declare Cynthia White officially "dead" so that he could then disallow the damaging testimony of Pamela Jenkins who saw Cynthia White earlier this year, and testified that she was a police informant.
The principal witness called was Sgt. Elizabeth Welch of the New Jersey State Police. Welch testified that the finger prints of a Cynthia Williams who died in New Jersey several years ago matched those of the missing witness Cynthia White. However, the D.A.'s office refuse to produce the finger prints for the defense to examine. Not only that, the finger print code (which is used to classify and index fingerprints) for Cynthia White is different from the fingerprint code given for the deceased Cynthia Williams.
"As far as I'm concerned, she's dead. I'm making a ruling. We're finished," declared Judge Sabo. White was the only witness who in 1981 testified to seeing Mumia Abu-Jamal with a gun. Sabo also refused to allow any witnesses who claimed White is still alive to testify.
The record of the three-day hearing will now be forwarded to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court which is still considering whether to grant Mumia a new trial, which would be in fact his first real trial.
Mumia Index | Mumia Events | R&R Main Page
Contact Refuse
& Resist!
305 Madison Ave., Suite 1166, New York, NY 10165
Phone: 212-713-5657
email: info@refuseandresist.org