In April 1996, Mumia Abu-Jamal's legal team found Veronica Jones, a witness at Mumia's 1982 trial. In a sworn declaration dated May 21, 1996, Jones revealed that the Philadelphia police intimidated and coerced her into lying at Mumia's trial. Specifically, Jones says she was forced to recant her initial account that, after hearing shots, she had seen two men flee the scene where police

officer Daniel Faulkner was killed. Critically wounded, Mumia was unable to flee.

At least four independent eye witnesses told the police that they saw someone flee the scene after hearing shots. But only one of these witnesses, Dessie Hightower, told this to the jury. Had Jones been allowed to tell the truth at the trial, her corroboration of Hightower's account would have soundly contradicted the prosecution's contention that only Faulkner, Mumia and Mumia's brother, Bill, were present.

Jones' statement provides strong proof that the police did indeed conspire to frame Mumia. On June 12,1982, about two weeks before she testified at Mumia's

trial, Jones was arrested on major felony charges, including robbery and assault. Unable to make bail, she was in police custody at the time she testified. While in jail, two white plainclothes detectives visited Jones. Her declaration describes the encounter:

"They told me that if I would testify against Jamal and identify Jamal as the shooter I wouldn't have to worry about my pending felony charges.... The detectives threatened me by reminding me that I faced a long prison sentence - fifteen years.... I knew that if I did anything to help the Jamal defense I would face years in prison. "

When Jones took the stand days later, the same two detectives were ominously present in the courtroom. A 21-year-old mother of three young children, she denied seeing anyone flee, fearing she "would be punished for helping the

defense."

Faced with Jones recanting her initial account, the defense attorney tried to probe for possible police pressure. When asked if she had talked with the police "at any other time', than when she gave her initial statement, Jones described a conversation during which the police told her that if she fingered Mumia they would let her work the streets as a prostitute just like Cynthia White the prosecution's central witness against Mumia. But trial Judge Albert Sabo (see reverse side) cut off this testimony, striking portions of it from the record.

After Jones changed her story, some of the felony charges were dropped. She made bail and was ultimately given two years probation.

On May 22, 1996, Mumia asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to send his case back to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas - before a judge other than Albert Sabo - to allow Jones to testify. Sabo had denied Mumia's appeal for a new trial in September 1995, after refusing a defense motion for his recusal which cited his very clear history of bias in the case.

On September 4, 1996, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court remanded the case back to the trial court but failed to remove Sabo or to explicitly order the court to allow Jones' testimony. Mumia's attorneys filed an emergency motion on September 24 urging the court to reassign the case to another judge. On September 30, the Supreme Court denied Mumia's motion to replace Sabo, but it did order Sabo to allow Jones to testify in order to create a "full factual record."

On October l. Veronica Jones took the stand to tell her story on the record. She withstood two hours of grueling cross-examination from Assistant D.A. Arlene Fisk, who probed ruthlessly into Jones' personal history. Then, in an incredible move' the D.A. produced a 1994 New Jersey bench warrant for Jones' arrest stemming from a bad check charge. Fisk urged Sabo to turn Jones over to the Philadelphia police for extradition to New Jersey - a request to which the judge readily obliged. Attorneys for the defense stridently objected to this action, but the judge and prosecutor were determined to punish Jones for coming forward to tell the truth.

Mumia supporters quickly raised the money for Jones' bail. She was released about 6:00 a.m. the next day. Once Judge Sabo has made his findings concerning

Jones' testimony, the matter will return to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which will decide whether or not to grant Mumia new trial.

Veronica Jones October 4, 1996