Hayer affidavits

Three men were convicted of the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X: Talmadge Hayer, Norman 3X Butler, and Thomas 15X Johnson. At first, Hayer denied any involvement, but during the trial, he confessed to having fired shots at Malcolm X. He testified that Butler and Johnson were not present and were not involved in the shooting, but he declined to name the men who had joined him in the attack.{{cite book |last=Kondo |first=Zak A. |title=Conspiracys: Unravelling the Assassination of Malcolm X |year=1993 |publisher=Nubia Press |location=Washington, D.C. |oclc=28837295 |page=100 }} Nonetheless, all three men were convicted.{{cite book |last=Rickford |first=Russell J. |authorlink=Russell J. Rickford |title=Betty Shabazz: A Remarkable Story of Survival and Faith Before and After Malcolm X |year=2003 |publisher=Sourcebooks |location=Naperville, Ill. |isbn=1-4022-0171-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/bettyshabazzrema00rick/page/289 289] |url=https://archive.org/details/bettyshabazzrema00rick/page/289 }}

In 1977 and 1978, Hayer submitted two affidavits re-asserting his claim that Butler and Johnson were not involved in the assassination. In his affidavits Hayer named four men, all members of the Nation of Islam's Newark, New Jersey, Temple Number 25, as having participated with him in the crime. Hayer asserted that a man he knew as "Wilbur" or "Kinly", later identified as Wilbur McKinley, shouted and threw a smoke bomb to create a diversion. Hayer said that a man named "Willie", later identified as William Bradley, had a shotgun and was the first to fire on Malcolm X after the diversion. Hayer asserted that he and a man named "Lee" or "Leon", later identified as Leon Davis, both armed with pistols, fired on Malcolm X immediately after the shotgun blast. Hayer also said that a man named "Ben", later identified as Benjamin Thomas, was involved in the conspiracy.{{cite book |last=Bush |first=Roderick |authorlink=Roderick D. Bush |title=We Are Not What We Seem: Black Nationalism and Class Struggle in the American Century |year=1999 |publisher=New York University Press |location=New York |isbn=0-8147-1317-3 |page=[https://archive.org/details/wearenotwhatwese00bush/page/179 179] |url=https://archive.org/details/wearenotwhatwese00bush/page/179 }}{{cite book |last=Friedly |first=Michael |title=Malcolm X: The Assassination |location=New York |publisher=One World |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-345-40010-9 |pages=112–129 }} Hayer's statements failed to convince authorities to reopen their investigation of the murder.{{cite book |last=Gardell |first=Mattias |title=In the Name of Elijah Muhammad: Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam |year=1996 |publisher=Duke University Press |location=Durham, N. C. |isbn=0-8223-1845-8 |page=81 }}

Butler, now known as Muhammad Abdul Aziz, was paroled in 1985. He became the head of the Nation of Islam's Harlem mosque in New York in 1998. He continues to maintain his innocence.{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/71838.stm |title=Malcolm X Killer Heads Mosque |accessdate=August 1, 2008 |date=March 31, 1998 |publisher=BBC News }} Johnson, who changed his name to Khalil Islam, was released from prison in 1987. During his time in prison, he rejected the teachings of the Nation of Islam and converted to Sunni Islam. He maintained his innocence until his death in August 2009.{{cite web |url=http://nymag.com/news/features/38358/ |title=The Man Who Didn't Shoot Malcolm X |accessdate=August 1, 2008 |last=Jacobson |first=Mark |date=October 1, 2007 |work=New York }}{{cite book |last=Marable |first=Manning |authorlink=Manning Marable |title=Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention |location=New York |publisher=Viking |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-670-02220-5 |page=474 }} Hayer, now known as Mujahid Halim,Rickford, p. 489 also disavowed the Nation of Islam's ideology, though he remains a practicing Muslim.{{cite web |url=http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/item_clnKuRIZr8fjHh6kVsKrQO |title=Quiet Life of an 'X'-Assassin |accessdate=April 28, 2010 |last=Fanelli |first=James |date=May 18, 2008 |work=New York Post }} Hayer has expressed regret for his role in the assassination. He was paroled in 2010.{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/26/malcolmx.killer/ |title=Malcolm X Killer Freed After 44 Years |accessdate=April 27, 2010 |last=Drash |first=Wayne |date=April 27, 2010 |publisher=CNN }}

Benjamin Thomas was killed in 1986. As of 1989, Leon Davis was reported to be living in Paterson, New Jersey. Little is known about Wilbur McKinley, and one researcher has concluded that he is dead.Kondo, pp. 203–205.Marable, p. 475.

William Bradley spent decades as a criminal. He was charged in connection with a 1968 bank robbery in Livingston, New Jersey, but in the end charges against him were dismissed. During the 1980s, Bradley was convicted of several charges related to robbery, aggravated assault, and drug possession.Marable, pp. 475–476. As of 2011, he was living in Newark, New Jersey, under the name Al-Mustafa Shabazz.{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/23/nyregion/biography-helps-renew-calls-to-investigate-malcolm-x-assassination.html |title=Biography Revives Push to Reopen Malcolm X Case |last=Dewan |first=Shaila |date=July 22, 2011 |work=The New York Times |accessdate=July 23, 2011 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/04/in_new_book_historian_alleges.html |title=In New Book, Historian Alleges Newark Man Killed Malcolm X |last1=Nutt |first1=Amy Ellis |last2=Cater |first2=Barry |date=April 3, 2011 |work=The Star-Ledger |accessdate=July 23, 2011 }}{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/manning-marable-book-revisits-assassination-of-malcolm-x-names-alleged-triggerman/2011/04/03/AFJYMMXC_story.html |title=Manning Marable Book Revisits Assassination of Malcolm X, Names Alleged Triggerman |last=Thompson |first=Krissah |date=April 3, 2011 |newspaper=The Washington Post |accessdate=July 23, 2011 }} Through his attorney, Bradley (Al-Mustafa Shabazz) denied having participated in any way in the assassination. Bradley died in 2018.{{Cite web|url=https://socialifestylemag.com/2020/02/does-malcolm-xs-assassination-matter-55-years-later-new-claims-suggest-it-might/|title=Does Malcolm X's Assassination Matter 55 Years Later? New Claims Suggest it Might|date=February 14, 2020}}

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{{Wikisource|Hayer affidavits}}

• {{cite web |url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/23/justice-department-declines-to-reopen-malcolm-x-case/ |title=Justice Department Declines to Reopen Malcolm X Case |last=Dewan |first=Shaila |date=July 23, 2011 |work=The New York Times }}

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Category:Assassination of Malcolm X

Category:1977 documents

Category:1978 documents