Lonnie McLucas
Encyclopedia
Lonnie McLucas was a Black Panther Party
member in Bridgeport, Connecticut
who was found guilty of the May 21, 1969 murder of New York
Panther Alex Rackley
, in the first of the New Haven Black Panther trials
in 1970. Rackley had been held and tortured at New Haven, Connecticut
Panther headquarters for two days, under suspicion of being an informant for the FBI's COINTELPRO
program. It was established at the trial that afterwards, Warren Kimbro
, a resident of the house, McLucas, and national Panther field marshal
George W. Sams, Jr.
had driven Rackely to the marshes of Middlefield, Connecticut
, where Kimbro and McLucas had each shot Rackley, on Sams' orders. Sams testified that national Panther leader Bobby Seale
, who had been speaking at Yale University
the day previous to the murder, had personally ordered the killing, but there was no corroborating evidence, and Seale was acquitted by a hung jury
.
Many commentators believed that , in fact, Sams had not only orchestrated the murder himself, but had done so to coverup the fact that he himself was the informant
and agent provocateur
. According to Michael Koskoff, one of the lawyers for McLucas,
McLucas was arrested a month after the murder in Salt Lake City, Utah
, and brought back to New Haven for trial. He pled not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit murder, but was found guilty and received a sentence of twelve to fifteen years, but served only a small part of that sentence.
The case later became part of an urban legend
that Hillary Clinton defended Bobby Seale and helped him get acquitted. This was not, in fact, the case as Clinton was a student at the time and not a lawyer.
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982....
member in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
who was found guilty of the May 21, 1969 murder of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Panther Alex Rackley
Alex Rackley
Alex Rackley was a member of the New York chapter of the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s. In May 1969, Rackley was suspected by other Panthers of being a police informant...
, in the first of the New Haven Black Panther trials
New Haven Black Panther trials
In 1970 there were a series of criminal prosecutions in New Haven, Connecticut against various members of the Black Panther Party. The charges ranged from criminal conspiracy to felony murder. All indictments stemmed from the murder of nineteen-year-old Alex Rackley in the early hours of May 21,...
in 1970. Rackley had been held and tortured at New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
Panther headquarters for two days, under suspicion of being an informant for the FBI's COINTELPRO
COINTELPRO
COINTELPRO was a series of covert, and often illegal, projects conducted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation aimed at surveilling, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting domestic political organizations.COINTELPRO tactics included discrediting targets through psychological...
program. It was established at the trial that afterwards, Warren Kimbro
Warren Kimbro
Warren Aloysious Kimbro was a Black Panther Party member in New Haven, Connecticut who was found guilty of the May 21, 1969, murder of New York Panther Alex Rackley, in the first of the New Haven Black Panther trials in 1970...
, a resident of the house, McLucas, and national Panther field marshal
Field Marshal
Field Marshal is a military rank. Traditionally, it is the highest military rank in an army.-Etymology:The origin of the rank of field marshal dates to the early Middle Ages, originally meaning the keeper of the king's horses , from the time of the early Frankish kings.-Usage and hierarchical...
George W. Sams, Jr.
George W. Sams, Jr.
George W. Sams, Jr. was a Black Panther who implicated Bobby Seale in the 1969 murder of New York Panther Alex Rackley. This resulted in the New Haven Black Panther trials of 1970....
had driven Rackely to the marshes of Middlefield, Connecticut
Middlefield, Connecticut
Middlefield is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,203 at the 2000 census. The town includes the village of Rockfall-History:...
, where Kimbro and McLucas had each shot Rackley, on Sams' orders. Sams testified that national Panther leader Bobby Seale
Bobby Seale
Robert George "Bobby" Seale , is an activist. He is known for co-founding the Black Panther Party with Huey Newton.-Early life:...
, who had been speaking at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
the day previous to the murder, had personally ordered the killing, but there was no corroborating evidence, and Seale was acquitted by a hung jury
Hung jury
A hung jury or deadlocked jury is a jury that cannot, by the required voting threshold, agree upon a verdict after an extended period of deliberation and is unable to change its votes due to severe differences of opinion.- England and Wales :...
.
Many commentators believed that , in fact, Sams had not only orchestrated the murder himself, but had done so to coverup the fact that he himself was the informant
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
and agent provocateur
Agent provocateur
Traditionally, an agent provocateur is a person employed by the police or other entity to act undercover to entice or provoke another person to commit an illegal act...
. According to Michael Koskoff, one of the lawyers for McLucas,
- "Many of the people in the New Haven chapter of the Panthers were middle classMiddle classThe middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
. They were defined more by their propagandaPropagandaPropaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
than by their own personalities. And they were young and impressionable. Lonnie, for example, was so eager to please and so easy to manipulate. If you told him to jump off a bridge, he’d do it."
McLucas was arrested a month after the murder in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, and brought back to New Haven for trial. He pled not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit murder, but was found guilty and received a sentence of twelve to fifteen years, but served only a small part of that sentence.
The case later became part of an urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
that Hillary Clinton defended Bobby Seale and helped him get acquitted. This was not, in fact, the case as Clinton was a student at the time and not a lawyer.
External links
- "Justice in New Haven" a TimeTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
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