 On June 1 , 1995 , his death warrant was signed by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge . Its execution was suspended while Abu @-@ Jamal pursued state post @-@ conviction review . At the post @-@ conviction review hearings , new witnesses were called . William " <unk> " <unk> testified that he saw the shooting and that the <unk> was the passenger in Cook 's car . <unk> 's account contained discrepancies which rendered it " not credible " in the opinion of the court . William Harmon , a convicted <unk> , testified that Faulkner 's murderer fled in a car which pulled up at the crime scene , and could not have been Abu @-@ Jamal . However , Robert <unk> testified that he had witnessed a man stand over Faulkner as the latter lay wounded on the ground , who shot him point @-@ blank in the face and then " walked and sat down on the curb " . 
