More than half a century after the assassination of Malcolm X, two men convicted of murdering him have been exonerated, after decades of doubt about who was responsible for the civil rights icon’s death.
A Manhattan judge dismissed the convictions of Muhammad Aziz and the late Khalil Islam, after prosecutors and the men’s lawyers said afound new evidence that the men were not involved with the killing and determined that authorities withheld some of what they knew.He and Islam, who maintained their innocence from the start in the 1965 killing at Harlem’s Audubon Ballroom, were paroled in the 1980s. Islam died in 2009.
The third man, Mujahid Abdul Halim — also known as Talmadge Hayer and Thomas Hagan — admitted to shooting Malcolm X but said neither Aziz nor Islam was involved. The two offered alibis, and no physical evidence linked them to the crime. The recent re-investigation found evidence that included orders from former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover himself telling witnesses not to identify themselves as informants to the police or defense, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. told the court.
NYPD Chief of Patrol Juanita Holmes said Thursday she felt for Malcolm X’s family and for Aziz and Islam “if we are responsible for withholding information.”Attorneys, scholars and others have long raised questions about the convictions, and alternate theories and accusations have swirled around the case. After Netflix aired the documentary series “Who Killed Malcom X?” early last year, Vance’s office said it was taking a fresh look at the case.
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Judge tosses convictions of 2 men in killing of Malcolm XMore than half a century after the assassination of Malcolm X, two of his convicted killers were exonerated Thursday after decades of doubt about who was responsible for the civil rights icon’s death. A Manhattan judge dismissed the convictions of Muhammad Aziz and the late Khalil Islam, after prosecutors and the men’s lawyers said a renewed investigation found new evidence that the men were not involved with the killing and determined that authorities withheld some of what they knew. Malcolm X gained national prominence as the voice of the Nation of Islam, exhorting Black people to claim their civil rights “by any means necessary.”
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