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'Angola Three' lawsuit pending in federal court
Published Tuesday, March 18, 2008
BATON ROUGE (AP) — A federal trial could start this summer for three men who claim they are victims of cruel and unusual punishment because of the decades they spent in isolation cells at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, their attorney said.
The lawsuit was filed in 2000 in U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge on behalf of two Angola inmates who were first placed into isolation cells in 1972 and a third inmate who spent 29 years in isolation before his conviction was overturned and he was released in 2001. A pretrial conference is set for April 17.
The three men, who have become known as the Angola 3, are Robert King, Herman "Hooks" Wallace and Albert Woodfox. Wallace and Woodfox remain in isolation at Angola. King, who used to go by the last name Wilkerson, has resided in Austin, Texas, since Hurricane Katrina.
King was placed in isolation for allegedly killing a fellow inmate, but that conviction was overturned in 2001 and King pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.
Wallace and Woodfox, who had formed a chapter of the Black Panther Party to fight sexual slavery and other problems inside the prison, were convicted of killing correctional officer Brent Miller during a riot on April 17, 1972.
King said Monday that Woodfox and Wallace were targeted because they were "activists" and because there was a need to quickly resolve Miller's killing.
Prison officials have maintained the men pose a security risk at the prison. On Monday, Assistant Warden Angie Norwood said Warden Burl Cain would have no comment.
The organization known as the Innocence Project has ramped up publicity about the case recently.
Barry Scheck, co-founder of the Innocence Project, said Monday "there are a lot of good reasons they didn't commit this crime at all." New Orleans attorney Nick Trenticosta said a bloody fingerprint found at the scene where Miller was stabbed 32 times does not match Woodfox or Wallace, who were serving sentences for armed robbery at the time of Miller's stabbing.
Trenticosta said about 200 inmates had access to the room where Miller was killed, but the Department of Corrections has made no effort to find the person whose finger left the print. In addition, Trenticosta said Department of Corrections officials have also been unwilling to turn over to defense attorneys the fingerprint cards for the 200 men who had access to the room.
Trenticosta also said he has tried to get fingernail scrapings taken from Miller after his death, but Department of Corrections officials said those scrapings have been lost. Police take scrapings from under a victim's fingernails to determine if a fight occurred and the assailant's skin was torn away by the victim's fingernails.
Wallace has filed a motion in state court asking that his conviction be overturned and life sentence set aside because he claims a key witness received a promise of a pardon if he testified against Wallace and Woodfox at trial.
Nineteenth Judicial District Commissioner Rachel Morgan recommended that Wallace get a new trial, but state District Judge Mike Erwin rejected that recommendation last year. The case now sits at the state 1st Circuit Court of Appeal.
Woodfox has a similar appeal in U.S. District Court in Baton Rouge.
Comments
Posted by fire39212 (anonymous) on March 18, 2008 at 11:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why were they in prison to start off with? Whatever they did to get there they had to know they were not going to a babysitter right? GEZZZ it is a shame when they have more rights that we do.......
Innocence Project isn't that who helped get that pruitt boy out of prison on those murder charges??? Get real...
Posted by judy9205 (anonymous) on March 18, 2008 at 12:17 p.m. (Suggest removal)
These three low life scum of the earth burdens on society should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. If King, Wallace or Woodfox confesses to killing Officer Brent Miller they should be executed A.S.A.P. If you people at Angola need any help carring out the executions of confessed killers please don't hesitate to call me.
Deuteronomy 19:11-13
Posted by Lily_Dream (anonymous) on March 18, 2008 at 12:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Okay, you commit crimes, go to prison, and then you kill while you are in prison. Is something wrong here. Once you go to prison, your rights are under surveillance. The you instead of coping and trying to rebuild your life to return to society, you KILL while incarcerated. You just gave up all rights.
I agree, total isolation is cruel and in-humane. But were you thinking about that when you KILLED someone, BEHIND BARS????????????????????????????????????????
I know we are only getting a condensed verion of what really took place in Angola. I feel that the right to reside in general population is a PRIVELEGE, not a RIGHT. This is clearly a privelege that was violated time and time again by these individuals.
Posted by csguidry (anonymous) on March 19, 2008 at 10:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If they are in isolation it is because they are a threat to themselves or others that is not cruel punishment is preservation of life. If they were in there for long periods of time then they had to keep doing or saying something that kept them there. Had they behaved their self this would not have happened. I do think they need to stop letting inmates sue over crap like this we have enough to keep the courts busy without this garbage. It seems to me that people forget what prison is supposed to be.
Posted by Fonzarosa (anonymous) on March 19, 2008 at 6:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Here's what you don't know. There has been a team of undercover
agents in the prison for several years so stand by for a bunch of
CO's and staff to do the perp walk very soon
Posted by csguidry (anonymous) on March 19, 2008 at 7:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This is why prison is so full and more coming in every day they have turned this into a vacation resport for them. They basicly run the place and do as they wish. We just babysit them. It is like these prisons that let them leave and go to work everyday... what is this about? got to work? if they wanted to have normal lives and do this then they should have behaved their self then they would have had all the freedon we do. I am dead against letting them out once they go in they should stay there until their time is served. At the rate things are going we may as well just not have any prisons. They get what they want anway!
Lily, the reason they are in isolation is because if they put them with or around others in the general population it is a big chance they would injur or kill them that is why they are isolated. Had they behaved theirself they would have never been put in isolation like that. It serves as sort of a jail within a jail for those who are extremely dangerous to themselves and others. In short it protects them and others until their bahvior can be managed and returned to a normal state. It sounds cruel but in fact it is for their safety and everyone elses including staff.
Most of the prisoners who are in prison today will be back once released because they like the prions life. I know some say it is because they can't make it on the outside I think it is more like they don't want to try and make it. If they would make prison like it used to be and stop pampering them then most of this garbage would stop cold turkey.
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