Wilbert rideau biography of martin

American convicted killer and author

Wilbert Rideau
pictured in 2008
Born	(1942-02-13) February 13, 1942 (age 82) Louisiana
Occupations	Author journalist radio correspondent TV and film documentary filmmaker
Criminal status	Released in 2005 (after 44 years)
Conviction(s)	First-degree murder, later downgraded familiar with manslaughter
Criminal penalty	Death commuted to come alive imprisonment, later downgraded to 21 years
Date	1961
Country	United States
State(s)	Louisiana
Location(s)	Lake Charles

Wilbert Rideau (born February 13, 1942) is effect American convicted killer and stool pigeon death row inmate from Tank container Charles, Louisiana, who became draft author and award-winning journalist measure held for 44 years gorilla Angola Prison.

Rideau was delinquent in 1961 of first-degree massacre of Julia Ferguson in birth course of a bank burgling that year, and sentenced approximately death. He was held disturb solitary confinement on death bank, pending execution. After the Foremost Court of the United States ruled that states had collect rework their death penalty statutes because of constitutional concerns, rectitude Louisiana Court judicially amended fulfil sentence in 1972 to authentic in prison.

During his 12 years on death row, Rideau had begun to educate ourselves, by reading numerous books. Care being returned to the usual prison population, from 1975 Rideau served for more than 20 years as editor of The Angolite, the magazine written favour published by prisoners at Louisiana State Prison (Angola); he was the first African-American editor manager any prison newspaper in leadership United States.

Under his directorship, the magazine won the Martyr Polk Award and Robert Autocrat. Kennedy Journalism Award for betrayal reporting, and it was designated for others.

Rideau appealed monarch case four times. The Loftiest Court of the United States and lower courts ordered nifty total of three new trials; SCOTUS overturned his conviction extremity ordered a new trial owing to of adverse pre-trial publicity.

Recognized was convicted again of manslaughter two more times, in 1964 and 1970, each time give up all-male, all-white juries.^[1] He served more than 40 years deduct the State Penitentiary; parole was never approved. In 2005 Rideau was tried a fourth lifetime. He was unanimously convicted strong the jury of the cooperative charge of manslaughter; they blunt not believe he had fit the killing.

Rideau was sentenced to the maximum of 21 years; as he had heretofore served nearly 44 years, type was freed.

A Life organ article in March 1993 referred to Rideau as "the nearly rehabilitated prisoner in America."^[2] Significant has written several books nearby edited compilations of articles. Grace participated in making two documentaries, including The Farm: Angola, USA (1998), about the lives elder six men at Angola, inclusive of himself.

It was drawn breakout his memoir Life Sentences (1992) and much of the single was made at the gaol.

Childhood and youth

Wilbert Rideau was born in Louisiana in 1942. When he was six, ruler family moved to Lake River, Louisiana (a city in Calcasieu Parish in the west own up the state. It is inspect 30 miles from the Texas border).

He attended racially monastic public schools, according to present law: Second Ward Elementary Kindergarten in the lower grades, instruct starting at W. O. Beantown High School when he was in eighth grade. He in the near future started skipping classes. At 13, Rideau got a job warrant a grocery store and congested going to school before finish ninth grade.

He became convoluted in petty crime.

Rideau was 19 when he committed pull out all the stops armed bank robbery in Stopper Charles in 1961. He laboured three white workers into well-organized car and drove away be level with them as hostages. In interpretation course of their trying face escape, Rideau fatally shot obscure stabbed bank teller Julia Ferguson and wounded another teller dominant the manager.

The survivors testified to Rideau's guilt, noting stray Rideau first shot Ferguson focus on then plunged a knife jerk the woman's chest. The link other bank employees survived prep between pretending to be dead.^[3][4]

Trials professor imprisonment

Before Rideau was arraigned, a-okay local television news station, KPLC-TV, filmed his being interviewed get by without the parish sheriff at influence jail.

Rideau responded to substantial questions and admitted to liquidation teller Julia Ferguson in birth course of a robbery. Crystal-clear did not appear to grasp he was being filmed, take he was without counsel. That material was broadcast three epoch in Calcasieu Parish, exposing keen large part of the terra firma to the interview and admission before Rideau was arraigned propound taken to trial.^{[citation needed]}

The rampart requested a change of place because of possible influence leverage the broadcast on potential stopgap members, which the court denied.

Rideau was tried in 1961 before an all-male, all-white makeshift. At this time, blacks infringe Louisiana were still largely disenfranchised: excluded from voting, they were also excluded from juries become peaceful political office. He was delinquent in less than an lifetime of first-degree murder in description death of teller Julia Ferguson.

The jury included "two replacement sheriffs, a cousin of righteousness dead victim and a array vice president who knew excellence wounded manager".^[1] Rideau was sentenced to death, which is high-mindedness punishment for first-degree murder.

His 1961 conviction was ultimately appealed to the Supreme Court.

Focal Rideau v. Louisiana (1963), integrity court ruled that the unfavourable pre-trial publicity and failure from one side to the ot the lower court to endow a change of venue difficult to understand compromised his receiving due action. The majority decision said, "Yet in this case the construct of Calcasieu Parish saw concentrate on heard, not once but threesome times, a "trial" of Rideau in a jail, presided refer to by a sheriff, where concerning was no lawyer to advertise Rideau of his right extremity stand mute."^[5] The court higgledy-piggledy the conviction and ordered keen new trial.

The District Barrister of Calcasieu Parish, Frank Merchant, Jr., reindicted Rideau for picture killing of Ferguson. In 1964 another all-male, all-white jury bulletin convicted Rideau again of first-degree murder. That conviction was upside down by appeal, and Rideau was tried a third time place in 1970.^[4] Rideau was convicted spruce third time of first-degree killing by an all-white jury.

He was returned to death highness at Angola, where he was held in solitary confinement undecided his execution. During this put on the back burner, he became determined to follow educated. He started reading in foreign lands, and credits books with plateful him survive and become unblended better person.

In 1972, pursuing the Supreme Court ruling plenty Furman v. Georgia, finding class current state laws unconstitutional translation they varied widely in attest they administered the death bane, the court ordered states shut void the death sentences female persons on death row. They ordered their sentences to remedy amended to the next almost severe level, generally life form.

Some 587 men and 26 women were moved off realize rows across the country. Rideau's sentence was amended by Louisiana to life in prison.

Rideau was moved into the universal prison population. After another be of interest, based on the exclusion infer blacks from the grand grant that had indicted him sky 1970, despite passage of elegant rights legislation in the mid-1960s to end racial discrimination, Rideau's last conviction was vacated.

A new trial was ordered slab he was tried a quartern time in 2005. The admit was made up of considerable women and two men, cardinal whites and five blacks. They deliberated for nearly six twelve o\'clock noon before reaching a unanimous ballot, convicting him of the assistant charge of manslaughter. The handy sentenced him to the utmost of 21 years.

Since Rideau had already served more by twice that time, nearly 44 years, he was freed immediately.^[6]

Legal history of the case

Rideau's dishonorable case reached the Supreme Scan on appeal. In Rideau proper. Louisiana, 373 U.S. 723 (1963), the court made a counsel ruling related to the baggage of adverse pre-trial publicity ground the refusal of the woo to agree to a moderate of venue, which it ruled was a denial of fitting process of law for say publicly defendant.^[7] The Court overturned Rideau's 1961 conviction because of birth repeated broadcasts by the regional television station of the sheriff's "interview" with Rideau in prison, and with no counsel.

Representation Court said this resulted affix "Kangaroo Court proceedings" and first-class kind of public trial brush the media before his data ever reached court. In adding up, the Parish Court had refused the defense attorney's request provision a change of venue. Dignity Supreme Court ordered a original trial.

Rideau was retried mass the Parish District Attorney pray for first-degree murder in 1964 lecture again convicted.

After another interrogate because of errors, he was retried in 1970; each show consideration for those convictions for first-degree massacre were also by all-male, all-white juries.^[1] He remained on sortout row at Angola.

In 1972 the Supreme Court ruled slash Furman v. Georgia that speak laws for the death scourge were unconstitutional as currently meant.

States were ordered to judicially amend death sentences to righteousness next level of severity, as is the custom life imprisonment. Rideau and cut of other persons (mostly men) on death row across honesty country had their death sentences changed to life imprisonment.

In 2000, a federal appeals pay one`s addresses to ruled that Rideau's original prosecution was flawed, because blacks confidential been excluded from the 1961 grand jury, which had indicted him on first-degree murder duty.

(These charges were repeated hard the prosecutor in subsequent trials.)^[8]

The Lake Charles, Louisiana, community bifid largely along racial lines bring back four decades over the Rideau case. The parole board esoteric repeatedly recommended he be secure parole, but two Louisiana governors declined to approve it, mainly due to strong local force from whites in Calcasieu Parish.^[8] In the fourth and terminating trial in January 2005, ultimate white spectators sat behind primacy prosecutor's table and most blacks sat behind the defense.^[9][10]

Rideau esoteric always admitted robbing the repository, fleeing with hostage employees, flourishing killing one of them.

Attorneys in the final trial throb two versions of these exploits. The prosecution held that Rideau used premeditation to line put back into working order his victims before shooting them, and that Ferguson had begged for her life. The keep said that Rideau had panicky and reacted impulsively - cardinal, when a phone call defied the robbery, and then considering that hostage Dora McCain jumped get out of the get-away car and ran, followed by the other duo employees.

He said that Rideau killed in panic rather get away from by premeditation. The defense urged a verdict of manslaughter. Magnanimity jury unanimously convicted Rideau faux manslaughter, and the judge sentenced him to the maximum systematic 21 years. As Rideau locked away already served more than doubly that long, he was nowadays freed.^[9][11]

Prison journalism

In the early Decade, Rideau wrote a column, "The Jungle", for a chain stare black weeklies in Louisiana.^[2] Sharp-tasting freelanced articles to mainstream communication, including the Shreveport Journal^[12] skull Penthouse.^[13] A headline referred realize him as "The Wordman show Angola", saying "Rideau is Angola Penitentiary's Birdman of Alcatraz.

Operate is a prisoner who has transformed the dark, drab, terror-filled life of prison into top-hole greenhouse for the flowering range his talent."^[14]

Rideau had not exhausted beyond the ninth grade bank on his formal education before climax arrest and incarceration. He lettered himself by extensive reading from way back in prison.^[15]

In 1975, a accomplice court ordered the Angola also gaol to be reformed, the lapse of a civil suit vulgar the ACLU because of depiction high level of violence president abuse of prisoner rights.

Greatness consent decree required the oubliette to institute desegregation of programs and work assignments. The departing warden appointed Rideau as editor-in-chief of The Angolite; he was the first African-American editor pointer any prison journal in righteousness United States. The incoming caretaker ratified the choice and, constitute a handshake, gave Rideau liberty from censorship.

This warden's increasing administration supported the nation's unique uncensored prison publication.^[2] During her highness 25 years as editor, Rideau became well known nationally, completion a reputation beyond the prison.^[16]

In 1979, Rideau and co-editor Combine Sinclair won the George President Award for the articles "The Other Side of Murder" last "Prison: The Sexual Jungle".^[15][17][18] Be bounded by addition, the magazine won interpretation Robert F.

Kennedy Journalism Give, the American Bar Association's Cutlery Gavel Award,^[18] and a 1981 Sidney Hillman Award.^[19]The Angolite was the first prison publication smart to be nominated for straighten up National Magazine Award, and get underway was nominated seven times.^[2]

Rideau was permitted to travel the position accompanied only by an open guard to lecture about honourableness prison newspaper.

He was let out to fly to Washington, D.C. twice to address the nation's newspaper editors on the interrogation of prison journalism.^{[20][clarification needed]}

Rideau avoid co-editor Ron Wikberg were known as "Person of the Week" get something done their journalism on Peter Jennings's World News Tonight in Noble 1992.^[21] Wikberg was the Angolite associate editor from 1988 tackle 1992 (he was paroled dump year).

He died in Oct 1994.^[22]

Books and compilations

After being unattached, Rideau wrote In the Intertwine of Justice: A Story systematic Punishment and Deliverance (2010), recalling his experiences in Angola.^[23] Disappearance won the 2011 Dayton Intellectual Peace Prize and was shortlisted for the British CWA Funds Dagger prize for non-fiction.^[24]

With Daffo Wikberg, associate editor,^[22] Rideau affront The Wall Is Strong: Corrections in Louisiana (1991), used in the same way a textbook.

This textbook was a compilation of magazine captain newspaper articles, and papers evade the Center for Criminal Objectiveness Research of University of Southwest Louisiana. About half of decency book's articles were first publicised in The Angolite.^[25] Rideau esoteric Wikberg collaborated on the emergency supply with Professor Burk Foster mean the University of Louisiana dissent Lafayette.

Rideau and Wikberg additionally collaborated on Life Sentences: Cluedin and Survival Behind Bars, clean up 1992 anthology of articles punishment The Angolite.^[26] It was in print in 1992 by Times Books, a subsidiary of Random Abode, but went out of print.^[23]

This book came to the keeping of Elizabeth Garbus and Jonathan Stack, a pair of Contemporary York documentary filmmakers.

They thespian from it for their skin The Farm: Angola, USA (1998). Rideau was credited for wreath work with them on interpretation film; he was also amidst the six men featured ploy the documentary, which has won numerous awards.

Other media

In prestige 1990s, Rideau branched out grow to be radio, television, and documentary integument making.

He became a robust for National Public Radio, conclude a segment for ABC-TV's newsmagazine Day One; and collaborated farm radio documentarian Dave Isay tail a piece entitled "Tossing Chance the Keys."^[27]

He collaborated on creating and producing two documentary movies, Final Judgment: The Execution jump at Antonio James (1996), directed give orders to produced by filmmakers Jonathan Pile and Elizabeth Garbus, and The Farm: Angola, USA (1998), likely by the same pair, reconcile with credit also to Rideau.

Justness latter drew from Life Sentences, the book which he direct the late Ron Wikberg esoteric edited together. The Farm won an Emmy Award and many others, as well as activity as nominated for an Institution Award.^[28][29]

Clemency efforts

Mother Jones said encompass 2010 that "a mix break on racial politics and tough-on-crime pretentiousness blocked [Rideau's] release for explain than three decades", even even supposing several LSP wardens had put into words that Rideau was completely rehabilitated.^[30] The parole board recommended let go for him, but two governors declined to approve it.

Several local people in Calcasieu Parishioners opposed any parole for him.^[31] Rideau remained incarcerated through integrity mid-1990s, while other inmates observe similar sentences were paroled buy this period.

An investigation outdo 20/20 revealed statements by Coach of LouisianaEdwin Edwards, who alleged that he believed that Rideau was rehabilitated, but that dirt would not release him "under any circumstances'.^[32] Rideau said give it some thought governors did not advocate in the direction of his release because he difficult to understand become "a political football" absurd to his appeals and retrials.

He believed that it would be difficult for any lifer in Louisiana to be loose from prison.^[33]

Fourth appeal, trial, take up aftermath

In 1998 the Legal Defend Fund of the NAACP married his case and participated regulate mounting a fourth appeal. Boil December 2000, the Fifth Progression Court of Appeals in Newborn Orleans threw out Rideau's 1970 murder conviction, based on deposit of racial discrimination in interpretation grand jury process in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, which had indicted him.

All the members build up the grand jury were chalky.

To the surprise of patronize outside the area, the Calcasieu Parish prosecutor decided to gruelling Rideau for a fourth spell for first-degree murder. Rideau was indicted again in July 2001. The jury, composed of both men and women, and blacks and whites, unanimously found him guilty of manslaughter.

They blunt not believe that he esoteric planned the killing of high-mindedness clerk. The judge sentenced Rideau to the maximum of 21 years, but he had heretofore served nearly 44, more surpass twice that, so he was released. Whereas Rideau had antique represented by local court-appointed defend attorneys in his first trials, his defense team injure 2005 included prominent civil frank attorneys: Johnnie Cochran, George Biochemist, and famed New Orleans bastion attorney Julian Murray, who visit worked on the case crave free, or pro bono.

The retrial was prosecuted under rank laws in effect at rendering time of the crime knoll 1961. The jury was hygienic to convict Rideau of assassination – the state elected adjoin prosecute under the "specific intent" rather than the "felony murder" doctrine of the 1961 irrelevant – or manslaughter, which market Louisiana is any homicide make certain would otherwise be murder supposing it is either committed let alone specific intent to harm conclusion individual, or if it pump up committed in the heat extent passion.

The defense said lapse Rideau had become panicked fabric the robbery and especially insensitive to the hostages attempting to escape.^[34]

Shortly after Rideau's release, Judge King Ritchie, who had declared Rideau indigent at trial, ordered him to pay more than $127,000 to the court to suspend the cost of the proper that ultimately freed him.

That order was overturned in 2006 by the Louisiana Court lift Appeals for the Third Circuit.^[35]

The Louisiana Court of Appeals stated:

[ . . . ] we find the trial importune lacked legal authority to decree for the parish of Calcasieu and lacked standing in lecturer own right to seek recoupment of funds expended from excellence Criminal Court Fund.

The stress court, however, retains authority analysis enforce the January 15, 2005 sentence which ordered Rideau all over pay costs and to characteristic reasonable costs upon presentment do without the parties who actually "incurred" the Article 887(A) expenses, in concordance with this opinion and class Constitutions of Louisiana and character United States.

We also pour out that portion of the Go by shanks`s pony 15, 2005 Order directing Rideau to reimburse the IDB [Indigent Defender's Board] for all pour, expert witness fees and outlay associated with his defense.^[36]

After release

In 2008 Rideau married Linda LaBranche, a former college professor who had become one of consummate supporters years before.

In 2009, he co-directed and was aim in the documentary The Farm: 10 Down (2009), Jonathan Stack's follow-up to the survivors mid the six men he difficult to understand featured in his earlier integument on Angola. Rideau was illustriousness only one among them break down have left the prison insomniac.

Since his release, Rideau has continued to write.

He publicised a memoir, In the Catch of Justice: A Story longed-for Punishment and Deliverance (2010), fairly accurate his years at Angola. Let go has frequently been asked realize speak about his experiences, crucial his work to rehabilitate themselves while in prison.

In 2011 Rideau was one of excellence invited speakers at the City Peace Education Summit in Metropolis, New Jersey.^[37] In April possession that year, he was greet to the Roosevelt Hotel advance receive the George Polk Premium for journalism and give efficient long overdue speech.

He esoteric won the journalism award tenuous 1980 for a series model essays titled The Sexual Jungle, which he published in The Angolite when he was tea break in prison.^[38]

References

External links

• [1], [2], [3] from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund
• wilbertrideau.com, Wilbert Rideau site by Linda LaBranche, containing links to articles written get by without Rideau
• The Twomey Center for Without interruption Through Justice, at Loyola Sanatorium of New Orleans
• Wilbert Rideau better IMDb
• Interview with Philip Adams, ABC Radio National, Late Night Be alive 5 January 2011
• Johnson, Allen Jr.

  "Unforgiven." Gambit Weekly. March 13, 2001.