Former Black Panther member passed away in jail while serving his life in prison sentenced, convicted over a police officer's death on 1970 bombing. The convict died on Saturday around midnight, according to the Nebraska officials.
The ABC News reported, David Rice, 68 years old, now known for his new name as Mondo we Langa dies in Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, Andrew Nystrom, the spokesman for the state penitentiary in Lincoln said. Authorities are says, they will conduct an investigation regarding his death. Since 2013, Rice had been undergoing treatment for his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Rice and a Black Panther co-member, Edward Poindexter were both convicted over the death of an Omaha Officer, Larry Minard, according to Buzzfeed. The two, who were the leaders of Black Panthers, were sentenced to life imprisonment over the killing. Authorities say they lured police to a house with a 911 call, then detonated a bomb that killed Minard.
The two insists for their innocence, as they believed they were "falsely implicated" due to their political beliefs. Both were questioned a key witness in the case, Duane Peak, who implicated both men in the bombing plot.
Peak, who was 15 at the time, testified that he made the 911 call that lured police to the vacant house. Representing lawyers for Rice and Poindexter questioned whether Peak could have made the 911 call because a recording of the call appeared to show an adult man's voice.
Poindexter, 71 years old whom his request for parole was denied in 2014, continues to serve life sentence. Rice died at 11:55 p.m., and the cause of death was not immediately known, Omaha.com reported. The spokesman Nystrom added, a grand jury will review the circumstances of the death.
The case of the said convicted members of the Black Panthers, was considered controversial. The Omaha Police recommended to suppressed the exculpatory evidence such as a tape of a 911 call, from being played at the trial. The two men had been targeted by the FBI's COINTELPRO, which is against and infiltrated anti-war and Civil Rights groups, such as the Omaha Black Panthers.
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