Kenneth Freeman

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Kenneth "Poppi" Freeman (d. 1985) ran a newspaper vending stand with William "Billy" Cook, and was the murderer of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner, though political commentator and local journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal (born Wesley Cook, Billy Cook's brother) was blamed for the murder and eventually convicted. He is suspected of being the unnamed accomplice in Arnold Beverly's confession statement. Freeman served in the army in Germany, and always wore a green army jacket. Billy Cook, who also explicitly claimed no involvement in the murder, claimed that Kenneth Freeman privately confessed to him as participating in the shooting.

Cynthia White, who was not an eyewitness, said originally that the someone exited the passenger side of Billy Cook's Volkswagen, and then identified Kenneth Freeman at least twice in a lineup. She later changed her story, which was, considering testimony and claims outside of the courtroom from fellow prostitute Veronica Jones, due to bribery of White and herself with the ability to work legally as a prostitute, to say that Abu-Jamal shot Faulkner. White was presumed dead, but the evidence was the death certificate of a "Cynthia Williams aka Mildred Saunders", which contained a social security number pointing to a Migdalia Cruz, who was from Puerto Rico. The fingerprints also did not match, and some claim that the death was a fake.[1]

On May 23, 1985, Kenneth Freeman was found dead in a lot, naked, handcuffed, bound, and gagged, and allegedly drugged. The cause of death listed on his death certificate is "natural causes", and this was never investigated.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ "Petitioner Jamal's reply to Commonwealth's answer to motion for remand to take testimony from Yvette Williams". Capital Appeal Docket, Case No. CAP 364. 2002-03-08.
  2. ^ O'Connor, J. Patrick (2008). The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal, p. 230. Lawrence Hill Books. ISBN 1556527446.
  3. ^ Wells, Robert. "What Happened That Night: A New Look at the Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal". CounterPunch Weekend Edition, 2006.