A judge on Thursday dismissed the convictions of Muhammad A. Aziz and the late Khalil Islam, who were prosecuted for the 1965 killing of Malcolm X.
“To Mr. Aziz and your family, and to the family [of] Mr. Islam, I regret that this court cannot fully undo the serious miscarriages of justice in this case and give you back the many years that were lost,” New York Supreme Court Justice Ellen Biben said before vacating the convictions and dismissing the case, according to The Washington Post
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., along with lawyers for 83-year-old Aziz and the Islam’s family, had filed a motion to overturn the first-degree murder conviction.
Vance said “it was clear these men did not receive a fair trial.” Vance also noted that it would not be possible to retry the murder case as most witnesses were now deceased and major pieces of evidence were missing from the record, the Post reported.
In a statement read to the judge and spectators in attendance, Aziz said he did not “need this court, these prosecutors or a piece of paper to tell me I’m innocent,” but added he was happy to have that fact recognized in front of his family, the Post noted.
Prompted in part by questions raised in a Netflix documentary, “Who Killed Malcolm X,” a 22-month long investigation was conducted jointly by the Manhattan district attorney’s office and attorneys for Aziz and Islam. It found that the FBI and the New York Police Department withheld key evidence that could have led to the acquittal of both men.
Aziz and Islam spent a combined 42 years in prison and were eventually released on parole. Islam died in 2009.