The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
October 7, 2013

Herman Wallace of Angola 3 Dies After Release From Prison 
----------------------------------------------------------


 
The Angola 3 member Herman Wallace has died at the age of 71. Wallace
died Friday morning in New Orleans just three days after a judge
overturned his conviction following nearly 42 years in solitary
confinement. He served more time in solitary consecutively than any
other U.S. prisoner. Wallace and two others, known as the Angola 3, were
placed in solitary in 1972 following the murder of a prison guard. The
Angola 3 and their supporters say they were framed for their political
activism as members of one of the first prison chapters of the Black
Panthers. Wallace was freed last week after a judge ruled women were
wrongly excluded from the jury that indicted him. Prosecutors quickly
re-indicted him even though he only had days to live. But Wallace died a
free man. In a statement, Wallace's attorneys said: "Although his
freedom was much too brief, it meant the world to Herman to spend these
last three days surrounded by the love of his family and friends. One of
the final things that Herman said to us was: 'I am free. I am free.'"

 

.