Crucial Details In Abu-Jamal Murder Case

Today, the Daily News has a big package on the 25th anniversary of the death of Daniel Faulkner, with no less than six articles and a timeline spanning several pages of the paper.

The best part is this story about William Singletary by Valerie Russ. Singletary originally fingered Mumia Abu-Jamal as the shooter, later saying that the police coerced him into singing the confession, that they ruined his businesses, that they made him leave town.

But the amount of important detail in this particular piece is awesome. To wit, before he saw/didn’t see Mumia Abu-Jamal shoot Daniel Faulkner, here’s the story:

In 1981, Singletary was a part-owner of the Bombay Lounge, a bar and hotel at 1504 Catharine St.

Singletary had driven from his bar to the Whispers night club, at 13th and Locust, some time after 3 a.m.

“Business at my place was slow,” he said.

“Everybody was leaving my bar and going to Whispers. I wanted to know what was going on there.” When he got to Whispers, Singletary said the person at the door wouldn’t let him in.

Singletary started walking south on 13th street toward his car when Cynthia White, the prostitute who would later testify against Abu-Jamal, approached and said, “Hey, how you doing? It’s cold out here.”

As he approached his car, “a brand-new Cadillac Eldorado, 1982 model,” White said, “Wow, that’s a great car!”

“Then she said, ‘You ain’t that bad-looking either. But I don’t date black guys.’ ”

Singletary said he returned: “And I don’t date prostitutes.”

It’s good to know that, 25 years later, there still are prostitutes at 13th and Locust. Well, not this Dec. 9. It’s too cold.

Witness: Abu-Jamal didn’t do it [Daily News]