Er Or Police New Aven Case: Purge by Franze-Ups
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
New aven Case: Purge by May 1,1970 A3 THE WASHINGTON POST Friday, er or Police Franze-ups to detectives by George By William Chapman Sams Jr., a former Panther Washington Post Staff Writer who claims he came from NEW HAVEN, April 30— San Francisco to New York On a May day in 1989, the last 'year with instructions body of Alex Ratkley, a to straighten out the East New York member of the Coast chapters. Black Panther Party, was Sams has pleaded guilty discovered in a marshy to second-degree murder swamp 25 miles north of and has cooperated exten- here- sively with the prosecution. He had been shot twice, His statement described e according to police reports, macabre scene in 4 New and his body bore bruises Haven apartment Where and marks of burns. Within Rackley allegedly was tor- a few hours, New Haven po- tured with boiling water, ted to a correctional institu- lice began arresting the first beaten repeatedly, and then tion as an "alleged danger- tied spread-eagle to a bed— , ous mental defective." of 14 black men and women Judge Harold M. Mulvey has charged with some degree all of it as a 'tape machine recorded the sounds. ordered Sams examined by of implication in his mur- a court-appointed psychia- der. Enter Seale who, accord- Since then, the Connecti- ing to Sams, asked Rackley trist. if he was a "pig." No, said Local lawyers and court cut Panther ease has) been observers believe the prose- one of angry conflict and Rackley. Then, Sams said, another Panther, Landon cution may try to extract sharply disputed claims. other testimony against Among its ingredients is a Williams, began talking: Seale from Warren Kimbro, lurid account of a tape-rec- "Landon was asking what we thoUght about the pig one of those who allegedly orded torture session, tales shot Rackley. Kimbro of Panther Party intrigue and- he asked Chairman Bobby Seale what did he changed his plea to guilty to and accusations of prosecu- second-degree murder after tion tricks and violations of think and Chairman Bobby he was visited in his cell by civil rights. said what we do with pigs, a his brother, a Dade County, The case quickly attracted pig is a pig. He said to do Fla., policeman, and by a national, attention—partly away with him and left." New Haven detective with- because Panther Party "What did you take this to mean?" a detective asked. , 'out his lawyer being pres- Chairman Bobby G. Seale "To kill him," answered 'ent. There is speculation was one of those arrested Sams. and partly because Panthers Sams' veracity and his en- were being raided, shot and tire role will be sharply at- prosecuted throughout the tacked by the defense. country. Panthers contend Sams was Stripped to its simplest not even a member in good emotional terms, the case standing, that he was in fact presents this questions Did a police agent Who engi: Seale order Rackley mur- neered the plot primarily to dered ;is part of a Panther implicate Seale. purge, as the police contend, Moreover, Seale's defense or was Seale thE victim •of a lawyer, Charles R. Garry, massive and intricate police contends Sams is a "mental frame-up rigged by an agent defective" whose account or turncoat? should not be admitted as, In the pollee version, as it evidence. It has been has turned up in hearings brought out in one hearing and pretrial documents, +hqt Sams was once commit- Sealt ordered Beckley killed because he was a "pig"—a police informer. The main evidence divulged So flit" is ,a statement given Carol Smith, sister of two defendants in Nei Haven Pan- united Press International ther trial, prepares to read statement asking that protests end remain peaceful. With her are Panther David Hilliard, right, ind Elbert ;Howard. Kimbro will be put on the others were sent to juvenile fused to tstify and was aroused considerable ani- stand to corroborate Sams' court. account. promptly sentenced to six mostiy among the defend. A sixth, Frances Carter, months in jail for contempt ant's friends. Of the original 14 persons provided one of the major of court. It is legal to re- arrested, only eight now are Throughout the pretrial sources of objections among' quire testimony from a de- 1earings, Seale has re- scheduled to be tried. Sams, Panther supporters here. Kimbro fendant granted immunity mained quiet and respectful and a young woman She was granted immunity in Connecticut and many have pleaded guilty and two in the courtoom. When he from prosecution but re- other states, but the tactic was on trial last fall with - the "Chicago Seven," Seale formant who turned in the raised repeated objections 21 Panthers now on trial or and denounced Federal facing trial in New York judge Julius J. Hoffman as City on bomb conspiracy a "facist pig." Ultimately, charges. Defense lawyers are argu- his ase was separated from ing that the tapes were ille- that of the other seven be- gally seized from the cause of repeated disrup- Panther apartment. Police tions. had no search warrant and Seale maintained through- are usually restricted in out , the Chicago trial that such a case as to what they his constitutional rights had may seize. Judge Mulvey been denied because the at- has not ruled yest on a mot- torney of his choice, Garry, ion to suppress the tapes. was not able to appear due He has, however, ruled to major surgery. Garry, for that the police legally ar- whom Seale has vast re- rrested the defendants, al- spect, has been active in the though they hid no war- New Haven case from the rants at the time. Under beginning. Connecticut law, police may Although his friends insist arrest without warrants if that Seale cannot get a fair - they reasonably believe a trial on what they say are felony is being committed trumpted-up charges, he has or has been commited and taken a different tack in the that there was not !snit- New Haven courtroom. cient time to obtain war- In one statement to Judge rants. police said they had a Mulvey, he said recently, "1 reliable informants' word understand that you are that Wraekley had been trying to see that we defend- taken out to be murdered ants have a fair trial and to the night before. "There was have a fair trial we also un- neither time nor necessity derstand the necessity for under our law that an arrest peaceful decorum in the warrant be obtained," Judge courtoom—very much so, Mulvey ruled. because this is part in par- The defense is also con- cel of what we believe in, to tending that he selection of Black Militant have a fair trial in the cour- the grand jury was impro- toom." per and has drawn out testi- Pleads Guilty One bizzare feature of the mony that 12 of the 20 ju- NEW YORK, April 30 trial is the existence of tape rors were either friends of (UPI)— Harlem Mau Mau recordings purportedly Sheriff John E. Slavin or leader Charles 37X Ken- made of one lengthy session were recommended by his yatta pleaded guilty today in which Rackley was friends. Grand juries are to gun charges stemming doused repeatedly with boil- picked here by the county from an attempt on his ing water. Sams has claimed sheriff, the only stipulation life last summer. * he ordered the tap-es made being that they must be reg- The former aide to the while he and other Panthers istered voters. Slavin ac- late Malcolm X could re- questioned Rackley, who, he knowledged that he had not ceive up to a year'in jail. asserted, was suspected of checked to see if they were State Supreme Court Jus- having been the police in- registered voters. tice Abraham Gelinoff or- dered him continued free in $1,500 bail pending sentencing. Kenyatta was charged With illegal possession of a .32-caliber pistol at the time he was shot in the back and left arm by an unknown trio 9f assailants June 7. Detectives discov- ered the pistol in Kenyat- ta's car. .