[Ppnews] Omaha Two story: (Part 24) - Prosecution rests without a word about COINTELPRO

[Political Prisoner News]

<http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/prosecution-rested-its-case-without-fbi-testimony-about-cointelpro-measures>http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/prosecution-rested-its-case-without-fbi-testimony-about-cointelpro-measures


Prosecution rested its case without FBI testimony about COINTELPRO measures

    * By <http://www.examiner.com/user-richardsonreports>Michael 
Richardson, COINTELPRO Examiner
    * April 8th, 2011 12:46 pm ET

Omaha Two story: April 8, 1971

The trial of the Omaha Two, 
<http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/prison-interview-with-ed-poindexter-on-cointelpro-and-the-omaha-police>Edward 
Poindexter and 
<http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/prison-interview-with-mondo-we-langa-on-cointelpro-and-omaha-two-case>Mondo 
we Langa, then David Rice, for the murder of a police officer was in 
its second week, forty years ago.  The two men were leaders of the 
National Committee to Combat Fascism, a Black Panther affiliate, and 
became targets of 
<http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/fbi-s-director-hoover-let-killer-of-omaha-policeman-get-away-with-murder-40-years-ago>J. 
Edgar Hoover.

Hoover got personally involved in the case, by withholding a 
laboratory report on the identity of the policeman's killer, as part 
of his clandestine 
<http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/crimes-of-cointelpro-heard-at-northeastern-law-school-seminar>COINTELPRO 
operation.  Hoover had been telling 
<http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/j-edgar-hoover-orders-omaha-fbi-to-be-imaginative-against-black-panther-leaders>Paul 
Young, the Omaha FBI Special Agent-in-Charge to "destroy" the 
leadership of the group in a series of confidential COINTELPRO 
memorandums for over a year.

Since Hoover took care of the recording of the 911 caller that lured 
Larry Minard, Sr. to his death by squelching a report on the analysis 
of the killer's voice it fell upon the FBI's rival federal agency to 
handle the explosives evidence.

A 
<http://www.examiner.com/cointelpro-in-national/atf-agents-compete-with-fbi-summer-1970-to-arrest-black-panthers-omaha>Division 
of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms chemist, Kenneth Snow, testified 
Thursday that dynamite particles found in the clothing of Ed 
Poindexter and Mondo we Langa were the same type as the dynamite 
found August 17, 1970, at the scene of the bomb slaying of Patrolman 
Larry Minard, Sr.

The chemist also testified that metal particles found in the cutting 
edges of a pair of pliers taken from Mondo's home were the "same type 
of wire" as a piece found at the crime scene.

On cross-examination, Public Defender Frank B. Morrison asked the ATF 
witness, whether the type of dynamite Snow said was involved was 
common.  Snow identified the explosive as "ammonia dynamite" and said 
it was widely used in the construction industry.

Snow testified he has analyzed evidence from more than 100 bombings 
around the nation and said that various items he analyzed by 
chemical, microscopic and other means all tested positive for 
particles of ammonia dynamite.

He said these included particles taken from Mondo's trousers and 
Poindexter's jacket pocket at the time of their arrests.
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Items also found to include ammonia dynamite, Snow testified, were 
particles taken from remnants of Minard's uniform, from fragments of 
what Snow said appeared to be suitcase material, and from two samples 
of material in vials sent to Washington by Omaha detectives.

Earlier witnesses testified that the uniform and suitcase evidence 
was found at the bombing site where Minard died in a booby trap 
explosion; the material in the vials was from 14 sticks of dynamite 
police purportedly found in an August 22, 1970 raid at 2816 Parker 
Street, Mondo's home.

Kenneth Snow testified that swab tests of Poindexter's hands revealed 
no trace of dynamite.

Snow said the particles of dynamite found in Poindexter's pocket 
could have been there "two or three months" or "longer."

It was later revealed that Snow's dynamite tests were general enough 
that a variety of substances tested positive including common kitchen 
matches.  The defense attorneys did not hire any expert witnesses and 
the scientific evidence went unchallenged.

Judge Hamilton, over objections by defense attorneys, admitted into 
evidence the items Snow testified about.  Mondos black and white 
striped trousers, Poindexter's camouflage jacket, suitcase fragments, 
the samples of dynamite purportedly found at Mondo's house, pliers, 
and a piece of copper wire.

A police sergeant testified he found the piece of copper wire in the 
basement of 2875 Ohio Street, a residence next door to the vacant 
house. The explosion caved in part of the basement wall.

The prosecution rested its case after calling thirty-two witnesses 
since testimony began on April 1, 1971.

Not once was COINTELPRO mentioned to the jury.  None of the FBI 
agents who had targeted the two defendants for a planned ambush 
coming back to town from Eppley Airport, an anonymous phone call 
campaign, and anonymous letters testified.

Paul Young, the FBI Special Agent-in-Charge in Omaha, never testified 
about his role in withholding evidence from the jury about the 
identity of Larry Minard's killer, the unknown 911 caller.  Young had 
the Omaha Police Department give him the recording of the fatal phone 
message and sent it to the FBI Laboratory with instructions to not 
issue a report.

The jury never heard J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI, testify 
that on August 19, 1970, two days after the bombing, he gave the 
command to withhold a lab report on the identity of Minard's killer.

Judge Donald Hamilton adjourned the jury for Good Friday.

On Monday morning, Ed Poindexter would take the stand in his own defense.

To view all of the Omaha Two story articles click 
<http://www.examiner.com/omaha-two-story-in-national>HERE

Permission granted to reprint

Michael Richardson
COINTELPRO Examiner
Examiner.com



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