By Steve Neavling
Two of three men convicted in the 1965 killing of civil rights leader Malcolm X are expected to be exonerated after authorities said the FBI and police had withheld evidence in the case, The New York Times first reported.
District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said a 22-month investigation revealed that law enforcement withheld evidence in the trial of Muhammad A. Aziz, 83, and Khalil Islam, who died in 2009. Both men have maintained their innocence from the beginning.
“This points to the truth that law enforcement over history has often failed to live up to its responsibilities,” Mr. Vance said. “These men did not get the justice that they deserved.”
Thomas Hagan, who also was convicted in the murder, confessed to the killing during his trial but was adamant that the two other men were not involved. His conviction stands.
Malcolm X was delivering a speech when he was fatally shot at New York’s Audubon Ballroom on Feb. 21, 1965.
