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Angola Three

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Robert Hillary King (born May 30, 1942 ), also known as Robert King Wilkerson , is an American known as one of the Angola Three , former prisoners who were held at Louisiana State Penitentiary in solitary confinement for decades after being convicted in 1973 of prison murders.

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77-561: The Angola Three are three African American former prison inmates ( Robert Hillary King , Albert Woodfox, and Herman Wallace) who were held for decades in solitary confinement while imprisoned at Louisiana State Penitentiary (also known as Angola Prison). The latter two were indicted in April 1972 for the killing of a prison corrections officer; they were convicted in January 1974. Wallace and Woodfox served more than 40 years each in solitary,

154-662: A " prison lawyer " for other inmates. He was convicted in 1973 in a separate prison murder.) These three men were soon taken out of the general prison population and were held in solitary confinement . In 1997, Malik Rahim , a community activist in New Orleans and a former Black Panther member, together with young lawyer Scott Fleming , who had worked as a prisoner advocate while a law student, learned that Wallace, King, and Woodfox were still incarcerated in solitary confinement. (Wallace had written to Fleming appealing for help in his case.) The two men initiated an investigation of

231-466: A fair trial because no women were included on his jury. Judge Jackson vacated the original grand jury indictment and ordered Wallace's immediate release. The original indictment was unconstitutional. The state announced its intention to re-indict Wallace for Miller's murder, but he died on October 4, 2013, a few days after being released from jail. In March 2013, a federal District Court judge in New Orleans overturned Woodfox's second (1998) conviction for

308-454: A free man, we've won." On October 3, 2013, a West Feliciana Parish grand jury indicted Wallace again for the 1972 murder of Miller, the corrections officer. Herman Wallace died on October 4, 2013, three days after being released from prison. (February 19, 1947 – August 4, 2022) Amnesty International called for the release of Woodfox after Wallace's release. He had been held in solitary confinement since 1972. After more court challenges, Woodfox

385-738: A large blood transfusion in 1971, after the birth of her younger daughter, and that she was convinced that the transfusion had infected her with hepatitis C. Blood donors in the United Kingdom were not screened for hepatitis C until the mid-1990s. She reported that she had developed cirrhosis of the liver, and that her main symptoms were itching and poor concentration. She briefly mentioned that medical treatment with interferon did not suit her. She said that she kept fit and active, and that she attended biannual out-patient hospital appointments in Southampton , as well as being under review by

462-721: A lot of trouble." Between 2009 and 2014, the Roddick Foundation gave four grants totalling £120,000 to CAGE , an organisation led by Mozzam Begg , that aimed "to raise awareness of the plight of the prisoners at Guantánamo Bay and other detainees held as part of the War on Terror ". The Foundation, along with two other charities, agreed to cease funding CAGE under pressure from the Charity Commission , which had expressed concern that funding CAGE risked damaging public confidence in charity. Lord Carlile , formerly

539-459: A parole violation. King was returned to Angola prison, where he served 15 months before being released on parole again in January 1969. King was later arrested again on robbery charges and was convicted. His co-defendant on these charges testified that he had picked King out of a mug shot lineup only after being tortured by police into making a false statement. King appealed his conviction. While being held at Orleans Parish Prison , he escaped, but

616-470: A prison guard. They were not changed in their opinions by the wavering of witnesses and lack of physical evidence in the case. However, Miller's widow, Teenie Verret, came to doubt Wallace and Woodfox's guilt. "If they did not do this," she says, "and I believe that they didn't, they have been living a nightmare." State officials continued to strongly oppose the inmates' release. Louisiana's Attorney General, James Caldwell, said in 2013 that he opposed releasing

693-606: A speaker on prison reform and the justice system. He has been featured in numerous print, media and film articles and interviews worldwide including: CNN , National Public Radio , NBC , BBC and ITN . He appeared in two documentaries about him and his fellow prisoners in long-term solitary: Angola 3: Black Panthers and the Last Slave Plantation and Land of the Free (2010). He also provided continuing support to Wallace and Woodfox in prison. His autobiography, From

770-456: A third time but offered him a plea deal after negotiation with his defense. Woodfox pleaded "no contest" ( nolo contendere ) to lesser charges of manslaughter and aggravated burglary. Together with his time for armed robbery, he had already served 45 years, the total of the sentences for those crimes. He was released based on time served, on February 19, 2016, his 69th birthday. Woodfox's civil suit filed in 2000, with plaintiffs King and Wallace,

847-564: A threat of charging him with contempt of court . Jackie Sumell , a Wallace supporter, visited him at the Louisiana State University Medical Center in New Orleans after his release. She said, "This is a tremendous victory and a miracle that Herman Wallace will die a free man." She continued, "He's had 42 years of maintaining his innocence in solitary confinement, and if his last few breaths are as

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924-407: A three-person panel of Fifth Circuit judges unanimously upheld the lower court's opinion that Woodfox's conviction had been secured through racially discriminatory means. The panel found that the selection of a white grand-jury foreperson in the 1993 indictment hearing prior to trial formed part of a discriminatory pattern in that area of Louisiana. Concluding that this action amounted to a violation of

1001-426: A younger sister, Ella Mae. They lived in a poor neighborhood in New Orleans, where he became involved in petty crime as a youth, and learned to fear police. King has admitted to being involved in petty crime as a youth, but says that he was innocent of his first major conviction: for armed robbery. He was sentenced to 35 years and first held at Orleans Parish Prison, where he first met Albert Woodfox . The latter man

1078-565: Is 71 years old and has advanced liver cancer . After decades of cruel conditions and a conviction that continues to be challenged by the courts, he should be released immediately to his family so that he can be cared for humanely during his last months." He had been transferred to the hospital unit in his prison. On October 1, 2013, Wallace was granted immediate release by U.S. District Chief Judge Brian A. Jackson of Baton Rouge, Louisiana , ending Wallace's forty-year incarceration in solitary confinement. The court had overturned Wallace's conviction in

1155-436: Is happening around them. In 2004, Roddick was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis due to long-standing hepatitis C . She did not reveal her illness until 14 February 2007. She said, "I have hepatitis C. It's a bit of a bummer, but you groan and move on". She subsequently promoted the work of The Hepatitis C Trust , and campaigned to increase awareness of the disease. On 30 August 2007, less than two weeks before her death, she

1232-625: Is known as one of the Angola 3 , men who were held for decades in solitary confinement at Angola. With the death of Woodfox in August 2022, King is also now the last surviving member of the Angola 3 as well. King was born on 30 May 1942 in Gonzales, Louisiana to Hillary Wilkerson and Clara Mae King. He grew up in New Orleans . He had an older sister, Mary (born 1940), who died around the 1960s, and

1309-534: Is still pending against the Louisiana Department of Corrections over the practice of extended solitary confinement. King was released in 2001, following 29 years in solitary confinement. His first conviction was overturned on appeal, and he pleaded guilty to a lesser conspiracy to commit murder charge. (October 13, 1941 – October 4, 2013) In July 2013 Amnesty International called for Herman Wallace's release on humanitarian grounds, saying, "Wallace

1386-563: Is still pending. While the men's civil suit and appeals of their cases were pending, in March 2008 Woodfox and Wallace were moved to a maximum-security dormitory at Angola. They had each been held for 36 years in solitary confinement. State Representative Cedric Richmond (D-New Orleans) (now a Congressman) was granted permission to visit them, which authorities rarely granted. He told an NPR reporter that he believed that they had been moved from solitary because of increasing political pressure about

1463-506: The Kitchen Sisters have produced for NPR. He calls his pralines "freelines," with funds used to support his activism. He sells them from his website. Following the destruction throughout the poorest areas of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, King pitched in with local activists to organize communities and provide aid. Local activist Malik Rahim , and Scott Crow and Brandon Darby , both from Texas, co-founded

1540-595: The National Post reported that Roddick had announced that she intended to use her fortune for philanthropy; it was estimated at £51 million ($ 104 million). This was before her sale of her business to L'Oreal. Roddick wrote the book Take It Personally. She encouraged equality and an end to the exploitation of workers and children in underdeveloped countries. After her death in 2007, her husband, Gordon Roddick, founded 38 Degrees in her memory. He said, "I knew what would make Anita really laugh would be to cause

1617-680: The Common Ground Collective to provide assistance and medical care to local residents left destitute after the storm. King has spoken internationally against the use of solitary confinement and on behalf of Wallace and Woodfox while they were still imprisoned. He has spoken at college campuses and community centers across the US, and before the Parliaments in the Netherlands, South Africa and Portugal. On 1 December 2010, King

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1694-498: The "longest period of solitary confinement in American prison history". Robert King was convicted of a separate prison murder in 1973 and spent 29 years in solitary confinement before his conviction was overturned on appeal; he was released in 2001 after taking a plea deal. Starting in the late 1990s, each case was assessed, and activists began to work to have the cases appealed and convictions overturned because of doubts raised about

1771-436: The 2020 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction and a 2019 National Book Award for Nonfiction . Woodfox died from complications of COVID-19 in New Orleans, Louisiana, on August 4, 2022, at the age of 75. Miller's family continued to oppose Woodfox's release, believing that he was guilty. His father had worked in the prison, and a brother was a prison guard at the same time as Brent Miller. Another brother had earlier served as

1848-618: The African/American community, they represent the poor Irish immigrants in the UK and the people in the poorest areas of Glasgow - the people with nothing and who face adversity you know? It is a constant source of inspiration that a mainstream sports club, so famous worldwide, was put there by the people for the people and still sticks to its founding principles and represents the people who have no other representation. The Celtic fans are known to stand up for what’s right and take no shit from

1925-786: The Angola Three. He spoke before the parliaments of the Netherlands , France , Portugal , Indonesia , Brazil and United Kingdom about the case, and about political prisoners in the United States . King was received as a guest and dignitary by the African National Congress in South Africa , and spoke with Desmond Tutu . Amnesty International added Wallace and Woodfox to their watch list of " political prisoners "/" prisoners of conscience ". NPR

2002-509: The Black Messiah" (2015), written by Amy Ray and performed by Indigo Girls , was inspired by the Angola 3. Herman Wallace was the subject of an ongoing socio-political art project entitled The House That Herman Built. Artist Jackie Sumell asked Wallace what his dream home would be like, and expressed his response in various media. Angad Singh Bhalla made a feature-length documentary, Herman's House (2012), about Sumell's project. It

2079-532: The Body Shop will in future have contracts with L'Oréal, and whilst working with the company 25 days a year Roddick was able to have an input into decisions. Roddick was known for her campaigning work on environmental issues and was a member of the advisory council for the think tank, Demos . However, despite Roddick's high profile statements regarding The Body Shop's charitable mission, it did not make charitable donations for its first 11 years of operation. After

2156-596: The Bottom of the Heap: The Autobiography of a Black Panther (2008), was released by PM Press . He won a PASS Award for his book in 2009 from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency. In prison, King started making pralines while in solitary confinement, gathering ingredients from other prisoners and guards. The story of his candymaking in prison has become the most requested story that

2233-504: The British Government's independent reviewer of anti-terrorism legislation, said: "I would never advise anybody to give money to CagePrisoners. I have concerns about the group". In 2015, the charity commission agreed to cease to interfere with charities' right to fund CAGE, if they wished, following a judicial review. The judicial review heard testimony that a British Cabinet Minister and US intelligence had applied pressure on

2310-935: The Edge , a charitable organisation which helps disadvantaged children in Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia. She believed that business should offer a form of moral leadership, being a more powerful force in society than religion or government . In the late 1990s, she became involved in advocating for the Angola Three , African-American prisoners at the Louisiana State Penitentiary who had already been held in solitary confinement for decades. She helped raise international awareness and funds to aid in their appeals of flawed trials. Roddick opened her first Body Shop in Brighton , England in 1976, with

2387-500: The US Constitution, the judges struck down Woodfox's conviction. The state of Louisiana refused to release Woodfox, pending their decision as to whether to pursue a new trial against him. The prison also refused to move him out of solitary confinement. On February 12, 2015, the state indicted Woodfox for a third time for the 1972 murder of Brent Miller, the prison guard. On June 8, 2015, U.S. District Judge James Brady ordered

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2464-619: The US. After his release, Woodfox wrote a memoir, Solitary: Unbroken by Four Decades in Solitary Confinement. My Story of Transformation and Hope (2019), about his early life and four decades in prison. Dwight Garner of The New York Times said that it was "uncommonly powerful". In 2020, the book won the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award for Nonfiction and the Stowe Prize . It was also a finalist for

2541-613: The case, as well as the men's civil suit against the state regarding solitary confinement. Woodfox had two appeal hearings in federal district court (one in November 2008 and one in May 2010), which resulted in his second conviction being overturned and his being granted full habeas corpus . The rulings by the federal district court were overturned by the federal Fifth District Circuit Court of Appeals. Immediately after Woodfox's first appeal hearing in November 2008, both men were moved out of

2618-429: The case, challenging the conclusions of the original investigations at Angola about the murder of guard Miller, and also raising questions about the conduct of the prisoners' original trials in 1972. Anita Roddick , founder of The Body Shop and known for her humanitarian activism, learned about the case from Fleming and helped raise international awareness about the Angola Three. On appeal, Woodfox's 1974 conviction for

2695-473: The cases. These include the widow of the late guard Brent Miller, who believes the three men are innocent of her husband's murder. The men were also the subject of a music video produced by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics in protest of the incarceration of the Angola 3. It features Saul Williams , Nadirah X , Asdru Sierra, Dana Glover , Tina Schlieske, Derrick Ashong and Stewart. The song "The Rise of

2772-579: The charity commission to investigate CAGE. Roddick was a close friend of Littlehampton Community School . In 2003, it successfully applied to become a Business and Enterprise specialist school. Much of the money required was donated by Roddick. As a result of this donation, a new building built with this money was named The Roddick Enterprise Centre (normally abbreviated to 'REC'). The Littlehampton College also hosts 'Roddick Days' such as 'Day of Action' and 'One World'; these events allow students to give something back to their local community and learn about what

2849-509: The children over the course of their early life. COTE's mission is to help disadvantaged children affected by conflicts, natural disasters, disabilities, and HIV/AIDS. In the late 1990s, Roddick became involved in the case of the Angola Three , African-American men who had been held for more than two decades in solitary confinement at Louisiana State Penitentiary . She helped raise international awareness of their case and funds to support appeals of their flawed convictions. On 13 December 2005,

2926-455: The company entered the stock exchange in 1984, the first sponsorship, which was made possible by the wealth generated by the IPO , was for Greenpeace posters in 1985. In 1990 Roddick founded Children on the Edge (COTE), in response to her visits to Romanian orphanages . She created COTE to help manage the crisis of poor conditions in the overcrowded orphanages and worked to de-institutionalise

3003-440: The establishment! Even people who have never watched a soccer game in their life respect that club and what they stand for. I've never been to the UK but if I ever get the chance it ( Celtic Park ) would be the first place I would visit." Anita Roddick Dame Anita Lucia Roddick DBE (23 October 1942 – 10 September 2007) was a British businesswoman, human rights activist and environmental campaigner , best known as

3080-555: The founder of The Body Shop , now The Body Shop International Limited, a cosmetics company producing and retailing natural beauty products which shaped ethical consumerism . The company was one of the first to prohibit the use of ingredients tested on animals in some of its products and one of the first to promote fair trade with developing countries . Roddick was involved in activism and campaigning for environmental and social issues, including involvement with Greenpeace and The Big Issue . In 1990, Roddick founded Children on

3157-551: The goal of earning an income for herself and her two daughters while her husband was away in South America. She wanted to provide quality skincare products in refillable containers and sample sizes, all marketed with truth rather than hype. She opened her second shop six months later. On her husband's return, he joined the business. In a May 2002 article in The Globe and Mail , Jon Entine reported that Roddick had copied

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3234-464: The image of the naked red-haired doll, hands behind her head and wind in her hair, that became the embodiment of the campaign. The photographer was Steve Perry. By 2004, the Body Shop had 1980 stores, serving more than 77 million customers throughout the world. It was voted the second most-trusted brand in the United Kingdom, and 28th top brand in the world. On 17 March 2006, L'Oréal purchased Body Shop for £652 million. Some controversy and criticism

3311-518: The justice system. When returned to Louisiana, Woodfox was incarcerated at Angola. At Angola, Wallace also became a member of the Black Panthers. He and Woodfox were among activists seeking to improve conditions at the notoriously cruel and violent prison. They helped organize education of other prisoners, and petitions and hunger strikes to protest segregation within the prison, and to end widespread rape and violence . They were targeted by

3388-520: The liver transplant team at the Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge . Roddick died of a massive stroke at about 6:30pm on 10 September 2007, after being admitted to St Richard's Hospital , Chichester the previous evening suffering from a severe headache. As promised earlier, she left her estate to charities rather than to her family and friends. When details of her estate were published, it

3465-401: The maximum-security dormitory, separated, and returned to solitary confinement. In March 2009 Wallace, along with a group of 15 inmates from Angola, was moved to Elayn Hunt Correctional Center and placed in a newly created closed-cell isolation tier. The state argued that this was not solitary confinement. In November 2010, Woodfox was moved from Angola to David Wade Correctional Center , which

3542-424: The murder of Miller was overturned in 1993, on the constitutional grounds of inadequate counsel at the first trial. The state quickly indicted Woodfox again that year, the result of a grand jury that was headed by a white foreman appointed by the court. In 1998 Woodfox was convicted a second time for the prison murder. His defense mounted another appeal. King's 1973 conviction, on charges unrelated to Miller's murder,

3619-506: The murder of Miller, based on the unconstitutional exclusion of women from his jury, in violation of the 14th Amendment. Jackson ordered a new trial. The state chose to prosecute Wallace again for the murder of Miller although he was dying of liver cancer. Wallace was taken to the house of a close friend in New Orleans. The state appealed the judge's orders, seeking to keep Wallace in prison. When East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore appealed Judge Jackson's order, Jackson responded with

3696-587: The name, concept and original brochures from the original Body Shop which was started in Berkeley, California in 1970 and had three stores when Roddick visited the Bay Area in the early 1970s. Roddick's original brochures were verbatim copies of material produced by the Berkeley-based Body Shop. When Roddick decided to expand her multinational corporation into the United States, she bought

3773-440: The original trials. In July 2013, Amnesty International called for the release of 71-year-old Herman Wallace, who had been diagnosed with terminal liver cancer . He was released October 1, 2013, due to a judge overturning his original indictment due to the lack of female jurors. The state re-indicted him on October 3, 2013, but he died on October 4, 2013, before he could be re-arrested. On November 20, 2014, Woodfox's conviction

3850-589: The plea deal because of advanced age and health issues. Woodfox died from COVID-19 complications on August 4, 2022, at the age of 75. Wallace and Woodfox were each sent to Angola Prison in 1971: Wallace was convicted of bank robbery, and Woodfox was convicted of armed robbery. Woodfox was sentenced to 50 years in prison. Woodfox had escaped from the Orleans Parish courthouse during his sentencing hearing and fled to Harlem in New York City. There he

3927-415: The prison administration, who feared the politically active prisoners. The day after a prison guard was burned to death in 1972, 23-year-old prison guard Brent Miller was found dead of multiple stab wounds. Woodfox and Wallace were indicted and convicted of his murder. King had also been convicted of robbery, but he was not assigned to Angola until after Miller's murder. (He said he was accused of acting as

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4004-657: The prison murder, ruling that it was based on racially discriminatory grounds because a white foreman had been appointed to the grand jury, and that this was part of a pattern of discriminatory practice found in the state. Louisiana Attorney General James Caldwell promised to appeal the District Court's decision, saying, "We feel confident that we will again prevail at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. However, if we do not, we are fully prepared and willing to retry this murderer again." On November 20, 2014,

4081-555: The release of Woodfox, after having overturned his second conviction for the killing of the guard Miller. His order barred a third trial from taking place, as he noted that most of the witnesses had died and he believed that it was unlikely that Woodfox could gain a fair trial. He also noted "evidence suggesting Mr. Woodfox's innocence". Four days later, the majority of a three-judge panel of the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed Brady's decision. It directed that

4158-440: The rights to the Body Shop name for $ 3.5 million from the original shop owners, who were required to sign a confidentiality agreement at the time. As a consequence the original Body Shop renamed itself Body Time and remained in business until April 2018. By 1991, the Body Shop had 700 branches, and Roddick was awarded the 1991 World Vision Award for Development Initiative. In 1996 she told Third Way : The original Body Shop

4235-516: The stabbing death there of prison guard Brent Miller. King allied with the Black Panthers. Upon arrival at the prison, on the grounds that King "wanted to play lawyer for another inmate," he was immediately put into solitary confinement: first in the "dungeon," then the "Red Hat", and finally in the Closed Correction Cell (CCR) unit, where he was held until his 2001 release. In 1973, King was charged with murdering another prisoner, and

4312-506: The state could hold Woodfox in prison until the matter was resolved, and that it could mount a third trial. "The dissenting judge, James L. Dennis, agreed with Judge Brady that the state had failed to remedy the problem of racial discrimination [in the second trial]. Judge Dennis noted that more than a dozen witnesses, including the state's only purported eyewitness to the murder and two alibi witnesses for Mr. Woodfox, were no longer alive." The state announced that it would try Woodfox for murder

4389-653: The two men "with every fiber of my being". He said that they had never been held in solitary confinement but were in "protective cell units known as CCR [Closed Cell Restricted]". Burl Cain , the former warden of Angola, said repeatedly in 2008 and 2009 that Woodfox and Wallace had to be held in CCR because they subscribed to "Black Pantherism". These cases received increased national and international interest following publicity related to King's release in 2001. Supporters mounted new challenges by appeals in court. Since his release, King has worked to build international recognition for

4466-519: Was a good idea. What was unique about it, with no intent at all, no marketing nous, was that it translated across cultures, across geographical barriers and social structures. It wasn't a sophisticated plan, it just happened like that. In 1997, Roddick developed the Body Shop's most successful campaign ever, creating Ruby, the size 16 doll, who was thought to bear a passing resemblance to Barbie. The campaign evolved from positioning developed by ethical communications consultancy Host Universal . They created

4543-438: Was a much greater travelling distance for his lawyers and supporters. Both Wallace and Woodfox, who had served past their original sentences for armed robbery, have allegedly suffered from a range of different medical issues—some due in part to their reported conditions of confinement and their enforced sedentary lifestyle. Prison officials had long maintained that the reason for keeping Wallace and Woodfox in solitary confinement

4620-443: Was a series of brilliant accidents. It had a great smell, it had a funky name. It was positioned between two funeral parlours—that always caused controversy. It was incredibly sensuous. It was 1976, the year of the heatwave, so there was a lot of flesh around. We knew about storytelling then, so all the products had stories. We recycled everything, not because we were environmentally friendly, but because we didn't have enough bottles. It

4697-508: Was a special guest in an episode of the live television programme Doctor, Doctor broadcast on Channel 5 in the UK. She discussed hepatitis C with the presenter and general practitioner , Mark Porter . Roddick explained that her hepatitis C was unexpectedly diagnosed in 2004, following a blood test that was part of a medical examination needed for a life insurance policy. The blood test indicated abnormal liver function and subsequent blood tests diagnosed hepatitis C. She said that she had

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4774-401: Was also convicted of armed robbery, and was sentenced to 50 years. After being held at the parish prison, King was sent to Angola, which he entered at the age of 18. Granted parole in 1965, at the age of 22, King returned to New Orleans. He married a woman named Clara and began a brief semi-pro boxing career under the nickname of "Speedy King". Several weeks prior to the birth of his son, King

4851-721: Was captured and jailed pending extradition to Louisiana. During this period, he met men for the first time who were members of the Black Panther Party . They taught other inmates to read, led political discussions, and began his education. "For Woodfox, the teachings of the Panthers were revelatory, giving his life a direction and moral meaning he had never previously found." He joined the Black Panther Party and kept his intellectual connection after it dissolved. He began to learn about African-American history and

4928-463: Was convicted. At the trial, he was bound and gagged. After he had maintained his innocence for years and appealed, his conviction was overturned in 2001. The state re-indicted him for the murder and said they would retry King on these charges. He accepted a plea bargain of lesser charges and was released, as he had already served more time than the sentence at the lower charges of conspiracy to commit murder. Since his release, Robert King has worked as

5005-411: Was finally released from prison on February 19, 2016, after being imprisoned for 45 years, 43 of them in solitary confinement. At the time, he spoke to a reporter from The New York Times and said, "When I began to understand who I was, I considered myself free." He was referring to learning via the Black Panthers and reading while in prison about his history as an African American and racial inequities in

5082-447: Was innocent of the charges. He was released in 2001, the first of the Angola 3 to gain freedom. In 2000, the Angola Three filed a civil suit against the Louisiana Department of Corrections "challenging the inhumane and increasingly pervasive practice of long-term solitary confinement". They seek damages against the state Department of Corrections because of the adverse effects of extended time in solitary confinement. As of 2019, their case

5159-560: Was invited as the inaugural speaker at TEDx Alcatraz in San Francisco, delivering a talk entitled "Alone" . King is a supporter of Scottish football club Celtic F.C. and wore a Celtic shirt during his first ever TV interview on CNN in June 2015. On a podcast in 2020, King explained why he became a Celtic fan: "Everyone knows of Glasgow Celtic and the story of the club. They represent oppressed people like me and my brothers in

5236-406: Was killed by police, and the twelve Panthers were charged with attempted murder. They were acquitted by a jury. King became radicalized and worked with the Panthers; they organized and participated in non-violent hunger strikes at the prison in an effort to improve conditions. In 1972, officials moved King from the parish prison to Angola to serve the remainder of his sentence. It was shortly after

5313-407: Was nationally broadcast on PBS 's POV program, on July 8, 2013. The film was followed by an interactive documentary, The Deeper They Bury Me: A Call from Herman Wallace (2015). Robert Hillary King Initially held at Angola after being convicted of armed robbery, King served a total of 32 years there, 29 of them in solitary. His conviction was overturned on appeal in 2001, and a new trial

5390-474: Was one of two suspects arrested on charges of robbery. After being held in jail for over 11 months, King's acquaintance, known as "Boogie", accepted a plea bargain and was released on time served. Simultaneously, the District Attorney dropped the charges against King, but he was not released. His having been arrested in the company of a now admitted felon (Boogie, since his plea deal), was deemed

5467-407: Was ordered. The state indicted him again and he accepted a plea deal for lower charges, in exchange for time served, rather than go through another trial. He was released in 2001. King has consistently maintained his innocence in the prison murder. He was among the co-founders of the Angola chapter of the Black Panther Party . With Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace , also former Black Panthers, he

5544-481: Was out of concern that they would instigate a prison uprising because of their belonging to the Black Panthers. In July 2013 Wallace was diagnosed with advanced liver cancer. He had earlier been thought to have a stomach condition. Wallace's defense team had filed a writ of habeas corpus, saying that he had not received a fair trial and was thus being held illegally by the state. In October 2013 federal district judge Brian A. Jackson ruled that Wallace had not received

5621-490: Was overturned by the US Court of Appeals. In April 2015, his lawyer applied for an unconditional writ for his release. His unconditional release was decided on June 10, 2015. He was released on February 19, 2016, after the prosecution agreed to drop its push for a retrial and accept his plea of no contest to lesser charges of burglary and manslaughter . He said he would have liked the chance to prove his innocence, but chose

5698-423: Was overturned in 2001 on appeal. The court ordered a new trial. While the state had the option to dismiss the charges, it reindicted King and said it would retry him. Before going to trial, the prosecutor offered him a plea deal, with the sentences for the lower charges to be offset by the time he had already served. King took the plea in order to gain release after 29 years in solitary confinement, but he said that he

5775-455: Was raised, as L'Oréal was known to use animal testing and the company was part-owned by Nestlé . The latter had been criticised for its treatment of third-world producers. Roddick addressed the issues directly in an interview with The Guardian . It reported that: ...she sees herself as a kind of ' Trojan horse ' who by selling her business to a huge firm will be able to influence the decisions it makes. Suppliers who had formerly worked with

5852-460: Was re-captured weeks later. Upon being returned to Orleans Parish Prison in 1971, King met some of the twelve Black Panther Party members who had been arrested after armed 1970 confrontations with police in September and November 1970. Law enforcement was trying to expel them from their headquarters near a housing project. They had established breakfast and education programs there. A bystander

5929-596: Was the first to examine the case in depth in 2008 with a 3-part series by Laura Sullivan which unearthed new witnesses and won a Peabody Award . The Angola Three were the subject of two documentaries: Angola 3: Black Panthers and the Last Slave Plantation (2006), produced by Scott Crow and Ann Harkness; and In the Land of the Free (2010), directed by Vadim Jean and narrated by Samuel L. Jackson . The film features Robert King, telephone interviews with Woodfox and Wallace, and interviews with attorneys and others involved with

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