An imprisoned Native American activist will face a “last chance” parole hearing after murdering two FBI agents in 1975.
Leonard Peltier, now 79, is due to attend a parole hearing Monday, his first in 15 years after spending more than 47 years behind bars.
He was arrested on February 6, 1976 by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after Special Constables Jack Coler and Ron Williams were shot and killed while searching for a suspect on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota on June 26. of 1975.
While the two agents searched for Jimmy Eagle, a suspect wanted for stealing a pair of cowboy boots and assaulting two local ranch workers, the pair called and said they were involved in a shootout that lasted 10 minutes, according to the FBI.
Authorities said Coler and Williams were shot at point-blank range and that Peltier was identified as the only suspect in their deaths because he was in possession of a gun whose bullets matched those used in their murders.
Jailed Native American activist Leonard Peltier, now 79, is due to attend a parole hearing Monday, his first in 15 years after spending more than 47 years behind bars. (pictured: Peltier in handcuffs, being led away by officers)
He was arrested on February 6, 1976 by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after Special Constables Jack Coler (right) and Ron Williams (left) were shot and killed while searching for a suspect on the Pine Ridge Indian Reserve in Dakota. of the South on June 26, 1975.
On Monday, Peltier is expected to attend what could be his final parole hearing at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Florida, as he is dogged by growing speculation and support from others for his release.
“He wants to come home and recognizes that this is probably his last chance,” said Peltier’s attorney, Kevin Sharp. NBC News.
“But he feels good about presenting the best case he can.”
Arrested along with Peltier were other Native American activists involved in the incident, Robert Robideau, Darrelle ‘Dino’ Butler, and Frank Blackhorse.
During the trial, Robideau and Butler were acquitted after pleading self-defense, while Peltier and Blackhorse were extradited to the United States from Canada.
Charges related to the shooting were dropped for Blackhorse, while Peltier was tried separately in 1977 in Fargo, North Dakota.
A panel of jurors found him guilty of killing the officers and sentenced him to two consecutive life sentences.
Numerous questions have been raised following Peltier’s trial and conviction, as Sharp said the way it was investigated and carried out was not always fair.
Several witnesses at the initial trial recanted their statements, while one witness, Myrtle Poo Bear, who claimed to be Peltier’s girlfriend at the time, placed him at the crime scene.
On Monday, Peltier is expected to attend what could be his final parole hearing at the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Florida. (pictured: Peltier in his mugshot)
Since being in prison, Peltier has attracted the attention of well-known public figures who have advocated for his release, including his son Chauncey Peltier (pictured), the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Bishop Desmond Tutu and Pope Francis.
Come trial, the FBI deemed Poo Bear “unfit” to testify in court, citing mentally unstable health issues.
During his last parole hearing in 2009, the FBI argued that his time in prison did not diminish “the brutality of the crimes.”
An official also said that although Peltier has maintained his innocence, “he has resorted to lies and half-truths to divert public attention from the facts at hand.”
Since his time in prison, Peltier has attracted the attention of well-known public figures and ordinary people who have advocated for his release, including his son Chauncey Peltier, the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Bishop Desmond Tutu and Pope Francis.
On Friday, FBI Director Christopher Wray said the agency “remains firm” in its view of his release.
Wray added that previous appeals have been denied and that Peltier managed to escape from a California prison in 1979, but was captured three days later.
“We must never forget or set aside that Peltier intentionally murdered these two young men and never expressed remorse for his ruthless actions,” Wray said.
Although the FBI has said Peltier was “lawfully and fairly obtained” and found guilty by “multiple courts, including the United States Supreme Court,” others are not so convinced he killed the agents.
James Reynolds, a retired federal prosecutor who was involved in Peltier’s appeals and the aftermath of the trial, took it upon himself to approach President Joe Biden in 2021 to try to commute the activist’s sentence.
“You have served over 46 years based on minimal evidence, a result I highly doubt would be upheld in any court today,” Reynolds wrote in a letter to Biden.
During a phone interview with NBC News in 2022, Peltier said he hoped pressure from Democrats in Congress would convince the president to reduce his sentence or release him.
“I have a few last years and I have to fight,” Peltier said previously.
“I have a few last years and I have to fight,” Peltier said earlier in a telephone interview from jail.
His lawyer said that because of Peltier’s good behavior in jail, his age and his medical problems, including partial blindness caused by a stroke, diabetes, hypertension and multiple attacks of Covid, he should be a great candidate for parole.
Parole can be sought in Peltier’s case because it occurred before November 1987, when Congress eliminated federal parole for inmates who committed crimes as part of new sentencing guidelines.
During the parole hearing, examiners will be in charge of reviewing your case before making a decision and giving it to the parole commissioner, who may agree or disagree with your decision.
If the commissioner agrees, Peltier will be released. If they disagree, a second commissioner would step in and agree with the examiners or the commissioner.
Sharp said that during his client’s case, medical and reentry experts will be called to support Peltier’s parole case. She added that letters from the community and well-known figures will also be provided to the parole commission.
His lawyer said that because of Peltier’s good behavior in jail, his age and his medical problems, including partial blindness caused by a stroke, diabetes, hypertension and multiple attacks of Covid, he should be a great candidate for parole.
Sharp added that the Federal Bureau of Prisons is “not saying he’s a danger” and that the case is now about whether “they got enough retribution.”
One of Peltier’s supporters, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., said: ‘Mr. Peltier deserves the dignity of living the rest of his life outside the confines of a federal prison cell, it is not too late to grant him the remaining years of a life that the federal government unjustly stole from him all those years ago.’
