[Ppnews] Louisiana federal judge overturns ’Angola 3’ conviction

[Political Prisoner News]

hattiesburgamerican.com


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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