[Ppnews] Update on Kamau Sadiki - 5/18

[Political Prisoner News]

May 18, 2009

TO:                  Friends and Supporters of Kamau Sadiki
FROM:            Attorney Akil Secret
                         <mailto:asecret at thesecretfirm.com>asecret at thesecretfirm.com

                         Attorney Teri Thompson
                         <mailto:teri at terithompsonllc.com>teri at terithompsonllc.com

RE: State of Georgia v. Freddie Hilton a/k/a Kamau Sadiki
Update - Motion for New Trial

On November 10, 2003, Judge Stephanie Manis sentenced Kamau Sadiki to 
life imprisonment for murder and ten (10) years to run consecutively 
for armed robbery after a Fulton County Superior Court jury found him 
guilty for the murder of Atlanta Police Officer James Green on 
November 3, 1971.

At the time of the murder, nineteen year old Kamau Sadiki was a 
member of the Black Liberation Army (BLA) which was led by John 
Thomas.  Several members of the BLA, including Mr. Sadiki, left New 
York City and lived in the Atlanta area for a short period of 
time.   On the night of the murder, two witnesses observed three 
black males run from a van where Officer Green sat at a gas station 
in downtown Atlanta.  The witnesses failed to identify Mr. Sadiki 
from a photographic line-up.  There was no physical evidence that 
implicated Mr. Sadiki.   In 1971, the Atlanta police department 
closed the case as unsolved.

In 2001, following increased interest in terrorism, one such former 
BLA member gave a statement about the 1971 murder after being 
detained during a traffic stop.  With no eyewitness testimony and no 
physical evidence, the State based its case entirely upon the 
statements of three former BLA members who were present in Atlanta at 
the time of Officer Green's murder.  Mr. Sadiki was arrested in 2002 
in Brooklyn, New York some thirty one (31) years later after the murder.

After a lengthy jury trial in Fulton County Superior Court that began 
in September 2003, Mr. Sadiki is now serving his sentence in Augusta 
State Medical Prison in Augusta, Georgia.   Appellate Attorney 
Stephen Scarborough filed a motion for new trial which was heard on 
April 23, 2009 in Fulton County Superior Court.

Among the many issues raised in his appeal, Mr. Sadiki is urging the 
court to reconsider her exclusion of the testimony of John Thomas' 
former wife, Ignae Thomas, wherein she was present during two 
conversations where others admitted their participation in the murder 
of the officer.  Mr. Thomas who is now deceased, made statements 
exonerating Mr. Sadiki and stated that he had nothing to do with the 
shooting.  Judge Manis ruled such testimony by Ms. Thomas 
inadmissible and excluded the testimony from the jury's 
consideration.   Other issues raised on appeal include Judge Manis' 
inclusion of a conspiracy charge to the jury when there was no 
evidence of such and Judge Manis' admission into evidence 
inflammatory statements regarding Mr. Sadiki's participation in the 
BLA and allegations of misdeeds by the BLA.

To date, Judge Manis has not ruled on the motion for new 
trial.  Historically, few motions for new trial are granted.   In the 
event she denies the motion, Mr. Sadiki can file an appeal to the 
Georgia Court of Appeals and, thereafter, the Georgia Supreme 
Court.  Mr. Sadiki also has a right to appeal to the highest court in 
the land, the United States Supreme Court.

For those who wish to extend greetings to Kamau Sadiki, his address 
is as follows:

Mr. Freddie Hilton,  a/k/a Kamau Sadiki
No. 1150688
Augusta State Medical Prison
3001 Gordon Highway
Grovetown, GA  30813




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415 863-9977

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