New York Reviewing Investigation of Malcolm X Assassination After Netflix Doc

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office in New York has announced that it will launch a review of the investigation into the 1965 murder of civil rights leader Malcolm X that could lead to further investigation of the case.

Malcolm, a mark of fire in his life that put the intellectual foundations for Black Power and black consciousness movements in the United States were killed by armed men while lecturing at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem.

Three members of the Nation of Islam were later arrested for the murders. Despite having previously helped lead the group, which mixed black nationalism with Islamic teachings, the murder came after Malcolm fought with the leader of the Nation of Islam Elijah Muhammad for the political leadership of the organization. Malcolm had faced death threats and his house was burned down shortly before he was killed.

Questions have long arisen about the errors and misconduct of the police and prosecutors, and many believed that two of the three men found guilty were wrongly convicted. Meanwhile, critics claim that the poor quality law enforcement had allowed others involved in the murder to go free.

The Innocence Project, a non-profit group working with a civil rights lawyer on behalf of one of the convicted, now 81 Muhammad Abdul Aziz said that the review of the investigation occurred "iin light of the new information discovered "in the The Netflix documentary, Who Killed Malcolm X?, Which premiered on Friday and analyzes the unanswered questions in the case.

A spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr., said his office decided to "begin a preliminary review of the matter,quot; after Vance met with representatives of the Innocence Project and Aziz's lawyer.

The review "will inform the office about what additional investigation steps can be undertaken," spokesman Danny Frost said in a statement.

Aziz, who was known as Norman 3X Butler when he was arrested, and Khalil Islam, formerly known as Thomas 15X Johnson, has maintained his innocence since his 1966 conviction. Islam died in 2009.

"This unfair conviction formed other lives besides mine," says Aziz in the documentary. "Everyone has been affected by this. A whole generation. Children, grandchildren, all these produced problems that have caused a fissure, a separation, a distance in my family."

The third condemned man, Mujahid Abdul Halim, also known as Talmadge Hayer and Thomas Hagan confessed to being the murderer, but during their 1966 trial, they said that Aziz and Islam "it had nothing to do with it. "

"I was there, I know what happened and I know the people who were there," he said, according to a New York Times report that year.

Lead trial attorney Peter Casolaro and deputy chief of the integrity of conviction Charles King will conduct the preliminary review, according to Vance's office. Casolaro had previously helped revoke the sentences of five teenagers unjustly accused of raping a corridor in Central Park in Manhattan in 1989. The accused teenagers became known as the Five of Central Park.

The Netflix documentary follows Abdur-Rahman Muhammad, an activist from Washington, DC, while investigating Malcolm's murder and discovers information that may suggest that the wrong men went to prison.

Muhammad, on Facebook, said he was glad to see that prosecutor Casolaro had been assigned to the case.

"I feel safer the day Muhammad Abdul Aziz, the former butler Norman 3X, will be exonerated for the murder of Malcolm X," he wrote shortly after the review of the investigation was announced.

According to the Innocence Project, no physical evidence connected Aziz or Islam with the crime and Aziz had several alibis at the time of the murder. The group also said that civil rights lawyer William Kunstler had previously obtained undisclosed documents from the FBI supporting a story of the murder committed by Halim in 1978, in which he identified four other conspirators, gave their addresses and provided a detailed schedule of the murder.

"We are grateful that District Attorney Vance quickly agreed to conduct a review of Muhammad Aziz's sentence," said Barry Scheck, co-founder of the Innocence Project, in a statement.

"Given the historical importance of this case and the fact that our client is 81 years old, we are especially encouraged that Mr. Vance has assigned two highly respected prosecutors, Peter Casolaro and Charles King, to work on this new investigation," he said.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

QUICKTAKE ON SOCIAL:

Follow QuickTake on Twitter: twitter.com/quicktake

Like QuickTake on Facebook: facebook.com/quicktake

Follow QuickTake on Instagram: instagram.com/quicktake

Subscribe to our newsletter

Email us at quicktakenews@gmail.com

QuickTake by Bloomberg is a global news network delivering up-to-the-minute analysis on the biggest news, trends and ideas for a new generation of leaders.