Louisiana federal judge overturns ’Angola 3’ conviction

From:    "Political Prisoner News" <ppnews@freedomarchives.org>
Date:    Wed, July 9, 2008

July 8, 2008

Louisiana federal judge overturns ’Angola 3’ conviction

The Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. ­ A federal judge has overturned
the conviction of a former Black Panther in the
1972 stabbing death of a Louisiana prison guard.

Albert Woodfox, who was held in solitary
confinement for over 30 years, is one of three
former Panthers known as the “Angola Three.” He
and two other black prisoners at the Louisiana
State Penitentiary were convicted in the killing
of guard Brent Miller on April 17, 1972.

U.S. District Judge James Brady issued a ruling
late today approving a federal magistrate’s
decision that Woodfox’s conviction should be
overturned because his previous defense lawyer
failed to object to a prosecutor’s testimony about a witness’ credibility.


Ex-Black Panther's murder conviction overturned - CNN.com*

<http://edition.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/07/09/black.panther.ap/index.html>http://edition.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/07/09/black.panther.ap/index.html


BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (AP) -- A federal judge on
Tuesday overturned the conviction of a former
Black Panther in the 1972 stabbing death of a Louisiana prison guard.

Albert Woodfox, who was held in solitary
confinement for over 30 years, is one of three
former Panthers known as the "Angola Three." He
and two other black prisoners at the Louisiana
State Penitentiary at Angola were convicted in
the killing of guard Brent Miller on April 17, 1972.

U.S. District Judge James Brady issued a ruling
late Tuesday approving a federal magistrate's
June recommendation that Woodfox's conviction be
overturned because one of his former lawyers
failed to object to a prosecutor's testimony
about a witness' credibility. Brady also found
that Woodfox's trial lawyer failed to object to
testimony from a witness who had died after the trial.

Woodfox's decades in solitary confinement
attracted worldwide attention from activists who
called him a political prisoner.

Nick Trenticosta, the New Orleans-based defense
lawyer who handled the appeal, said Woodfox's
immediate future lies in the hands of
prosecutors, who could request a new trial.
Trenticosta said he hoped Woodfox to be released without another trial.

"The man was convicted on false evidence, and
he's been held in solitary for almost 40 years.
Let's release him," Trenticosta said.

A message left for prosecutors late Tuesday was not immediately returned.

Trenticosta said Woodfox had probably not yet heard about the ruling.

"I don't believe he knows," Trenticosta said.
"But I'll talk to him in the morning and he'll
probably find out about it in the newspaper."

Woodfox and Herman Wallace were kept in solitary
confinement from 1972 until March, when they were
moved to a maximum-security dormitory with other
prisoners. Woodfox was serving 50 years for armed
robbery when the 1972 killing occurred.

Wallace has been appealing his conviction based
on arguments similar to Woodfox's.
The third member of the "Angola Three" spent 29
years in isolation before his conviction was
overturned in 2001. Robert King, known as Robert
King Wilkerson in the 1970s, pleaded guilty to
conspiracy to commit murder and was freed.

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