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<font size=3>May 18, 2009<br>
<br>
TO:
Friends and Supporters of Kamau Sadiki<br>
FROM:
Attorney Akil Secret<br>
<a href="mailto:asecret@thesecretfirm.com">asecret@thesecretfirm.com</a>
<br>
<br>
Attorney Teri Thompson<br>
<a href="mailto:teri@terithompsonllc.com">teri@terithompsonllc.com</a><br>
<br>
<b>RE: <u>State of Georgia v. Freddie Hilton a/k/a Kamau Sadiki<br>
</u>Update - Motion for New Trial<br>
<br>
</b>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. <br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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.<br>
<br>
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. <br><br>
For those who wish to extend greetings to Kamau Sadiki, his address is as
follows:<br>
<br>
Mr. Freddie Hilton, a/k/a Kamau Sadiki<br>
No. 1150688<br>
Augusta State Medical Prison<br>
3001 Gordon Highway<br>
Grovetown, GA 30813<br><br>
<br><br>
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