The U.S. Parole Commission has denied parole to Leonard Peltier, a left-wing Native American activist who has been in prison for decades. The murders Two FBI agents were killed after a shootout in 1975.
“The brutal murders of Special Agents Jack R. Coler and Ronald A. Williams remain a deep wound for the FBI family, and Peltier’s lack of remorse makes this tragedy even more grave,” Natalie Barra, president of the FBI Agents Association, told Fox News Digital. “We believe this verdict upholds justice for our fallen colleagues and their families.”
Both the FBI and the FBIAA (a professional organization representing 14,000 current and former agents) strongly opposed Peltier’s release.
FBI Special Agents Ronald Williams, left, and Jack Coler, right, pictured in their official FBI portraits. Both men were killed at point-blank range after being wounded in a shootout on June 26, 1975. (FBI)
Former President Bill Clinton and Barack Obama Both rejected Peltier’s previous requests for clemency. However, his bid for release has the support of key Democrats in Congress, including Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders and Obama-era Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
Peltier, now 79 and in poor health, is serving two consecutive life sentences for the murders, plus a seven-year sentence for the armed escape attempt. His supporters fear he will die in prison and are now hoping President Biden will release him.
On June 26, 1975, FBI Special Agents Ronald Williams and Jack Coler were searching for a group of armed robbery suspects on the Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Although Peltier was not one of them, he was traveling in a vehicle that attracted the agents’ attention.
Leonard Peltier, leader of the American Indian Movement, is led through the Oakalla jail’s exercise room to a waiting helicopter. After a lengthy legal battle, Peltier was ordered deported by Canadian Justice Minister Ron Basford to face charges of murdering two FBI agents. (Bettman/Contributor via Getty Images)
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He was not aware that an arrest warrant had also been issued against him in Wisconsin for the attempted murder of an off-duty police officer.
According to court documents, Williams warned Koller over the radio that someone in the vehicle was about to shoot at them.
A shootout ensued. Both agents were wounded. According to the FBI, both agents were killed by shots to the head from AR-15s, and witnesses said Peltier was the only person holding an AR-15 in the shootout.
Circa 1985: American Indian Movement (AIM) activist Leonard Peltier, who was convicted of the 1976 murders of FBI agents Ronald Williams and Jack Coler. (MPI/Getty Images)
He Escape to CanadaWhere he was captured and extradited to the US to face justice.
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Kolker, originally from Bakersfield, California, was an LAPD officer before joining the FBI in 1971. Williams was also a native of Glendale, California. joined the FBI In 1972.
According to the FBI, four men were arrested for his murder, but only Peltier was convicted. The government dropped charges against James Eagle, who was a robbery suspect and whom Williams and Coler were searching for at the start of the shootout. Two other men, Robert Robideaux and Darrell Butler, were acquitted at trial in 1976.
Peltier’s supporters have argued that his initial conviction in 1977 was based on shoddy evidence and “prosecutorial misconduct.” But they have failed to have it overturned after more than a dozen appeals, two of which reached the Supreme Court.
Photograph taken by the FBI in the 1970s of Leonard Peltier, who was on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list at the time. (Bateman)
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Prior to the decision of the Parole Commission, FBI Director Christopher Wray Vocally opposed to Peltier’s release.
“The FBI remains resolute in its opposition to Leonard Peltier’s latest application for parole,” he told Fox News Digital. “Peltier was convicted of the brutal murders of FBI Special Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota in 1975. We must never forget or ignore that Peltier intentionally murdered these two young men and never expressed remorse for his brutal actions.”
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He said 22 federal judges looked at the evidence and heard Peltier’s legal arguments.
“Peltier’s claims are baseless, and his conviction and sentence should be upheld,” he said. “Furthermore, Peltier’s crimes included a post-conviction escape from federal custody, during which he and his accomplices fired shots at prison staff.”
