The San Francisco 8 were eight former Black Panthers who were arrested in January 2007 for their alleged involvement in the 1971 murder of Sgt. John V. Young at Ingleside Police station.[1][2]
| San Francisco 8 | |
|---|---|
| Leaders | Herman Bell, Jalil Muntaqim, Richard Brown, Richard O'Neal, Ray Boudreaux, Hank Jones, Francisco Torres, Harold Taylor |
| Active regions | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Size | 8 |
| Part of | Black Panther Party |
| Opponents | San Francisco Police Department |
Herman Bell and Jalil Muntaqim were already incarcerated. Richard Brown, Richard O'Neal, Ray Boudreaux, and Hank Jones were arrested in California, Francisco Torres was arrested in Queens, New York, and Harold Taylor was arrested in Florida. Bail amounts were originally set between three and five million dollars each. Torres fingerprints were alleged to have been found on a lighter at the scene of the crime.The prosecution failed to produce this evidence in court.[3]
In January 2008, charges of conspiracy were dropped against five of the defendants, and Richard O'Neal was removed from the case altogether, changing the name of the case to the San Francisco 7. On June 29, 2009, Bell pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the death of Young. The following month, charges were dropped against Boudreaux, Brown, Jones, and Taylor.[4] After spending over a year in the San Francisco jail at 850 Bryant Muntaquim pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit voluntary manslaughter.[4] Torres, a Vietnam War veteran,[5] had charges against him dismissed as well.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Koopman, John (July 7, 2009). "Charges dismissed against four in Ingleside cop murder case". SFGATE. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
- ^ Egelko, Bob (January 9, 2008). "Charges narrow in 1971 slaying of S.F. cop". SFGATE. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
- ^ Koopman, John (August 11, 2009). "Hearing delay for defendant in '71 cop killing". SFGATE. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
- ^ a b Koopman, John (July 7, 2009). "2nd guilty plea in 1971 killing of S.F. officer". SFGATE. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
- ^ "Who are the San Francisco 8?". www.freethesf8.org.
Sources
edit- The Story of the San Francisco 8 LA Progressive website