Tom Manning (prisoner)
Encyclopedia
Born to a Boston
postal clerk, Thomas "Tom" William Manning is known for his involvement in the murder of a police officer during a routine traffic stop, and for his involvement with the United Freedom Front
(UFF) who bombed a series of US military and commercial institutes in the 1970s and early 1980s.
As a youth, he shined shoes and raised pigeons, before finding work as a stockboy. He joined the US Military in 1963, and the following year was stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba before being transferred off to spend the following year in the Vietnam War
. Some time shortly after 1965, he was sentenced by a Massachusetts
state court to five years in prison for armed robbery and assault
, serving the last ten months in Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Cedar Junction
. He claims it was during these years that he became heavily politicized, through his interactions with other prisoners
After his release in 1971, he married Carol and together they produced three children, Jeremy, Tamara, and Jonathan.
Together with his arrest for the bombings, Manning was also convicted for his role in killing New Jersey
police officer Philip Lamonaco during a traffic stop on December 21, 1981. The killings launched the largest manhunt in NJ police history, and ended with the arrests of Raymond Levasseur, Patricia Gross, Richard Williams, Jaan Laaman
, and Barbara Curzi on November 4, 1984, and Manning and his wife Carol on April 24, 1985. All of them were associated with the United Freedom Front.
He pled self-defense
at his trial, while defense counsel showed that Lamonaco had emptied his .357 Magnum
revolver at Manning and his associates. He was sentenced on February 19, 1987, to 58 years in federal prison.
In September 2006, the University of Southern Maine
removed Manning's artwork from an art presentation, and apologized for allowing him to be heralded as a "political prisoner
" by event organizers.
His projected release date is August 20, 2020. He is currently being held in a federal prison in Florida.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
postal clerk, Thomas "Tom" William Manning is known for his involvement in the murder of a police officer during a routine traffic stop, and for his involvement with the United Freedom Front
United Freedom Front
The United Freedom Front was a small American Marxist organization active in the 1970s and 1980s. It was originally called the Sam Melville/Jonathan Jackson Unit, and its members became known as the Ohio 7 when they were brought to trial...
(UFF) who bombed a series of US military and commercial institutes in the 1970s and early 1980s.
As a youth, he shined shoes and raised pigeons, before finding work as a stockboy. He joined the US Military in 1963, and the following year was stationed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba before being transferred off to spend the following year in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Some time shortly after 1965, he was sentenced by a Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
state court to five years in prison for armed robbery and assault
Assault
In law, assault is a crime causing a victim to fear violence. The term is often confused with battery, which involves physical contact. The specific meaning of assault varies between countries, but can refer to an act that causes another to apprehend immediate and personal violence, or in the more...
, serving the last ten months in Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Cedar Junction
Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Cedar Junction
The Massachusetts Correctional Institution—Cedar Junction , formerly known as MCI-Walpole, is a maximum security prison with an average daily population of approximately 800 adult male inmates under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Department of Correction. It was opened in 1956 to replace...
. He claims it was during these years that he became heavily politicized, through his interactions with other prisoners
After his release in 1971, he married Carol and together they produced three children, Jeremy, Tamara, and Jonathan.
Together with his arrest for the bombings, Manning was also convicted for his role in killing New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
police officer Philip Lamonaco during a traffic stop on December 21, 1981. The killings launched the largest manhunt in NJ police history, and ended with the arrests of Raymond Levasseur, Patricia Gross, Richard Williams, Jaan Laaman
Jaan Laaman
Jaan Karl Laaman grew up in Roxbury, Massachusetts and Buffalo, New York. His family emigrated to the US from Estonia when he was a child. He has a son...
, and Barbara Curzi on November 4, 1984, and Manning and his wife Carol on April 24, 1985. All of them were associated with the United Freedom Front.
He pled self-defense
Self-defense
Self-defense, self-defence or private defense is a countermeasure that involves defending oneself, one's property or the well-being of another from physical harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of force in times of danger is available in many...
at his trial, while defense counsel showed that Lamonaco had emptied his .357 Magnum
.357 Magnum
The .357 S&W Magnum , or simply .357 Magnum, is a revolver cartridge created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, Colonel D. B. Wesson of firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson, and Winchester. It is based upon Smith & Wesson's earlier .38 Special cartridge. The .357 Magnum cartridge was introduced in...
revolver at Manning and his associates. He was sentenced on February 19, 1987, to 58 years in federal prison.
In September 2006, the University of Southern Maine
University of Southern Maine
The University of Southern Maine is a multi-campus public urban comprehensive university and part of the University of Maine System. USM's three primary campuses are located in Portland, Gorham, and Lewiston...
removed Manning's artwork from an art presentation, and apologized for allowing him to be heralded as a "political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
" by event organizers.
His projected release date is August 20, 2020. He is currently being held in a federal prison in Florida.
Prisons housed
- United States Penitentiary, HazeltonUnited States Penitentiary, HazeltonThe United States Penitentiary, Hazelton is a high-security federal prison for men in the United States. Hazelton also contains a Secure Female Facility and a smaller satellite camp for minimum security male inmates.-History:...
- Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Cedar JunctionMassachusetts Correctional Institution - Cedar JunctionThe Massachusetts Correctional Institution—Cedar Junction , formerly known as MCI-Walpole, is a maximum security prison with an average daily population of approximately 800 adult male inmates under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Department of Correction. It was opened in 1956 to replace...
- United States Penitentiary, LeavenworthUnited States Penitentiary, LeavenworthThe United States Penitentiary , Leavenworth was the largest maximum security federal prison in the United States from 1903 until 2005. It became a medium security prison in 2005.It is located in Leavenworth, Kansas...
- Medical Center for Federal Prisoners, SpringfieldMedical Center for Federal Prisoners, SpringfieldThe United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners is a hospital for male federal prison inmates in southwestern Springfield, Missouri at the corner of West Sunshine Street and Kansas Expressway...
(1999 hip surgery) - United States Penitentiary, MarionUnited States Penitentiary, MarionThe United States Penitentiary is a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility located in Southern Precinct, unincorporated Williamson County, Illinois. The facility is located south of Marion, from St. Louis, and from Chicago. It was built in 1963 to replace the Alcatraz prison in San Francisco, which...
- ADX FlorenceADX FlorenceThe United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility is a supermax prison for men that is located in unincorporated Fremont County, Colorado, United States, south of Florence. It is unofficially known as ADX Florence, Florence ADMAX, Supermax, or The Alcatraz of the Rockies...
- Federal Correctional Institution, CumberlandFederal Correctional Institution, CumberlandFederal Correctional Institution, Cumberland in Cumberland, Maryland is a federal prison that houses medium security male offenders. The FCI has an adjacent minimum security satellite camp that houses male offenders....
External links
- Manning's personal website, a film about the killing of Philip Lamonaco