Judge exonerates two men convicted in 1965 killing of Malcolm X
CBSN
A judge has exonerated two of the three men convicted of the 1965 killing of civil rights leader Malcolm X. The decision follows a two-year investigation from Manhattan's district attorney that determined Muhammad A. Aziz, 83, and the late Khalil Islam were "wrongfully convicted."
"I regret that this court cannot undo the serious miscarriage of justice," state Supreme Court judge Ellen Biben said in court Thursday. "There can be no question that this is a case that cries out for fundamental justice."
District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said most of the physical evidence and witnesses couldn't be re-investigated because of the time that's passed and the investigation found that several witnesses told the FBI they had not seen Aziz or Islam with the murder weapon. The investigation also determined that prosecutors withheld evidence that could have cleared Aziz and Islam at trial.
Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.
The knock at the door came at nighttime on Mother's Day 2008 in Oregon, where Jessica Ellis' parents lived. It was around 9:20 p.m. and his wife, Linda, was already in bed; her father Steve Ellis told CBS News, that he thought someone let their animals out — but two soldiers in Class A uniforms were standing at the door.