Last of Louisiana's 'Angola 3' inmates released after decades in solitary

Feb 20, 2016, 12:36

Albert Woodfox, the last remaining incarcerated member of the Angola 3, was freed from custody Friday afternoon (Feb. the 19th), on his 69th birthday, after spending more than four decades in solitary confinement in Louisiana prisons.

All three inmates, though, were ultimately released from prison and one - Albert Woodfox, who served perhaps the longest stretch in solitary confinement in USA history - was released Friday.

Woodfox had spent more than four decades in solitary confinement after being convicted for Miller's killing at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

Courtesy of Fenton Communications, Albert Woodfox had long insisted he was innocent in the fatal stabbing of guard Brent Miller in 1972.

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"Although I was looking forward to proving my innocence at a new trial, concerns about my health and my age has caused me to resolve this case", he said. He was awaiting a third trial in the case when he was released from custody.

His legal team told The Times Picayunne that Woodfox pleaded "no contest" to two lesser charges: manslaughter and aggravated burglary, and noted this is not an admission of guilt.

"Facing Woodfox, who did not meet his eye, Miller said his brother Brent, a drummer, "set the pace for our family", adding that", the family will always be heartbroken".

"It means simply that (Woodfox) does not contest that the State would present evidence at a new trial from witnesses who said he committed this crime". Robert King had his conviction overturned in 2001 and says the 29 years he was kept in solitary confinement have permanently damaged his eyesight and physical orientation. In June, a federal judge agreed, ordering that Mr. Woodfox be unconditionally released and barring the state from taking him to trial for a third time on the same charge.

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The struggle of the Angola 3 has highlighted the torture of solitary confinement used against prisoners in the US.

"There's forces beyond your control", Woodfox said Friday as he left Angola. "I'm afraid I'm going to start screaming and not be able to stop", he said.

Woodfox was placed in solitary immediately after Miller's body was found in an empty prison dormitory, and then was ordered kept on "extended lockdown" every 90 days for decades.

The same went for Herman Wallace, who was released in 2013 after a judge vacated his murder conviction and sentence.

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