'Who Killed Malcolm X?' Two Wrongfully Accused... New York City Pays 37.2 Billion Won Settlement

Black Civil Rights Leader Malcolm X's Assassin Exonerated After 55 Years
One Released in the 1980s Has Passed Away, Another Is an 84-Year-Old Elder
New York City: "This Settlement Partially Restores Justice"

Muhammad Aziz (left), who was arrested after being falsely accused in the 1965 Malcolm X assassination case, and Aziz standing in front of the courthouse last year after it was confirmed that he had been wrongfully accused. Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Sung-wook] New York City has agreed to pay a settlement of $26 million (approximately 37.2 billion KRW) to two men who were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for over 20 years for the assassination of Malcolm X, the father of the American Black civil rights movement.

On the 31st (local time), The New York Times reported that the families of Khalil Islam and Muhammad Aziz, who were identified as accomplices in the Malcolm X assassination case and sentenced to life imprisonment but were exonerated after 55 years, will receive this compensation. They were accused of shooting and killing Malcolm X at a speech venue in Harlem, New York, in 1965. Aziz was released in 1985 but is now an 84-year-old man. Islam was released in 1987 but passed away in 2009.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced on November 18 last year that after reinvestigating the Malcolm X assassination case, Aziz and Islam, who were initially identified as perpetrators, were found to be unrelated to the incident. Cyrus Vance Jr., Manhattan District Attorney at the time, apologized to Aziz, Islam, and their families, stating, "Law enforcement agencies failed to fulfill their responsibilities."

At the time of the assassination, Malcolm X had just broken away from the Black religious group called the "Nation of Islam." Investigators charged three individuals?Mujahid Abdul Halim, Aziz, and Islam?who were members of the Nation of Islam, as the perpetrators. Halim admitted to the crime in court, but Aziz and Islam claimed innocence. They asserted they were not present at the scene and even presented alibis, but these were ignored during the trial.

Their story became widely known through the 2020 Netflix documentary "Who Killed Malcolm X?" This program questioned the guilty verdicts of Aziz and Islam, leading the Manhattan District Attorney's Office to reinvestigate the case. The reinvestigation revealed not only their innocence but also that the FBI and New York Police Department had concealed key evidence proving they were not the perpetrators, causing a significant public outcry.

However, the true culprit of the case was not identified even after the reinvestigation. The person considered the real perpetrator by investigators was never arrested and had already passed away. At the time, The New York Times reported that William Bradley, a member of the Nation of Islam who died in 2018, matched the description of the perpetrator given by witnesses.

The families of the exonerated Islam and Aziz filed claims for damages against New York State and New York City, respectively. New York State had previously agreed to pay $5 million (approximately 710 million KRW) each. The $26 million settlement to be paid by New York City will be split equally between Islam's family and Aziz. In a statement, New York City said, "This settlement partially restores justice to the victims who were wrongfully accused of assassinating a historic figure and forced to spend decades in prison."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.