Two convicted of Malcolm X’s death could be acquitted, US newspaper says

Two of the three men convicted of the 1965 murder of Malcolm X are expected to be acquitted on Thursday (18) by public prosecutor Cy Vance, according to a report by The New York Times.

A 22-month investigation conducted by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the lawyers for the two men – Muhammad A. Aziz and Khalil Islam – found that prosecutors, the FBI and the New York Police Department withheld key evidence that was likely would lead to his acquittal, according to The Times.

The men were known at the time of the civil rights activist’s murder as Norman 3X Butler (Aziz) and Thomas 15X Johnson (Islam).

In an interview with The Times, Vance apologized for the failure of law enforcement and said: “This points to the truth that law enforcement throughout history has often failed to fulfill its responsibilities.”

Vance said, “These men didn’t get the justice they deserved.”

Evidence during the investigation, according to the report, showed flaws that included FBI documents that revealed information that “pointed away” from the two men, and prosecutor’s notes that did not reveal undercover officers present in the ballroom at the time of the shooting. .

According to the New York Times report, the new investigation concluded that if new evidence had been presented to a jury, the two men could have been acquitted.

Aziz, 83, was released from prison in 1985; Islam was released in 1987 and died in 2009.

A CNN he contacted the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, which has announced a press conference for Thursday. THE CNN he also got in touch with the Innocence Project, as well as the two men’s lawyers.

Murder

Malcolm X, one of the most powerful voices in the fight against racism in the country, took the stage at the Audubon Ballroom in New York on February 21, 1965. Not long after, shots were fired and the icon of the fight against racism died.

Three men were convicted in 1966. Mujahid Abdul Halim (known as Talmadge Hayer and Thomas Hagan), Aziz and Islam were sentenced to life in prison. For years Aziz and Islam said they were innocent. Halim said he participated in the murder but maintained the innocence of the other two men.

Aziz is still trying to clear his name, according to Project Innocence. He has carried the stigma of conviction for over 50 years.

Halim attempted to absolve Aziz and Islam of the murder when he testified on February 28, 1966, as reported by The New York Times.

“I just want to testify that Butler (Aziz) and Johnson (Islam) had nothing to do with it. I was there, I know what happened and I know the people who were there,” Halim said.

There was no physical evidence linking Aziz or Islam to the murder of one of the 20th century’s most important African-American figures, according to Project Innocence.

Aziz also had an alibi, saying he was at home taking care of his injured leg. “On the day of the crime, which was a Sunday morning, I was lying on the couch with my foot up and I listened to the radio,” recalls Aziz in “Who Killed Malcolm X?”, According to the Innocence Project.

Vance’s February 2020 review of the case came after a series of Netflix documentaries – “Who Killed Malcolm X?” – raised a number of new questions.

The district attorney’s office announced the review and said it was working with the nonprofit Innocence Project, which aims to exonerate those wrongfully convicted.

Malcolm X’s daughter Ilyasah Shabazz, in a statement at the time, said she hoped the investigation would “bring clarity and transparency regarding this criminal and devastating act against my family and all devoted Malcolm followers.”

“My father lived defending and searching for the truth,” she said. “He deserves the same dedication to the truth as all of us.”

Ganesh Setty da CNN and Christina Zdanowicz contributed to this report.

(Text translated, read original in English here)