Key events in the Mumia Abu-Jamal case

The tangled path of the Mumia Abu-Jamal case:

Dec. 9, 1981: Police Officer Daniel Faulkner is shot four times at point-blank range - one of the shots striking him between the eyes - after making a traffic stop in Center City. Abu-Jamal is arrested and charged with Faulkner's murder.

July 2, 1982: Abu-Jamal, a cabbie, radio reporter and Black Panther activist, is convicted of first-degree murder in Common Pleas Court and sentenced to death.

March 6, 1989: The Pennsylvania Supreme Court affirms Abu-Jamal's conviction and death sentence.

1990-91: The U.S. Supreme Court denies Abu-Jamal's petitions for a hearing and two rehearings.

June 1, 1995: Then-Gov. Tom Ridge signs Abu-Jamal's writ of execution, scheduled for August 17, 1995.

1995: Abu-Jamal publishes his memoirs, titled "Live from Death Row."

Sept. 15, 1995: Philadelphia Common Pleas Court denies Abu-Jamal's petition for a new trial.

Oct. 29, 1998: Pennsylvania Supreme Court unanimously affirms that denial.

Dec. 18, 2001: A U.S. District judge affirms Abu-Jamal's conviction but overturns the execution ruling and orders resentencing. Both sides appeal.

May 17, 2007: Lawyers argue the case before a three-judge panel in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Philadelphia.

December 2007: Maureen Faulkner and radio journalist Michael Smerconish publish a book they co-wrote, titled "Murdered by Mumia: A Life Sentence of Pain, Loss, and Injustice."

Yesterday: U.S. Court of Appeals in Philadelphia upholds Abu-Jamal's conviction but agrees with a lower court ruling that he can't be executed without a new sentencing hearing because of flawed jury instructions and verdict form.

- Dana DiFilippo and Michael Hinkelman