Mumia Abu-Jamal ( born Wesley Cook on April 24 , 1954 ) is an American who was convicted and sentenced to death for the 1981 murder of police officer Daniel Faulkner . Mumia Abu-Jamal ( born Wesley Cook on April 24 , 1954 ) is an American who was found guilty of and sentenced to death for the December 9 , 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner .