Woodfox pleaded no contest, while not admitting guilt, on Friday to lesser charges of manslaughter and aggravated burglary.
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Woodfox walked out of the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola a free man at 3 p.m. alongside his brother Michael Mable, officials said.
The lawyer for the last inmate of a group known as the “Angola Three” says his client is going to be released from custody after pleading no contest to manslaughter and a lesser offense in the 1972 death of a prison guard.
Woodfox, who was sent to the hole for the 1972 killing of prison guard Brent Miller, also thanked the two other members of the Angola 3, Robert King and Herman Wallace. Both men consistently maintained their innocence and insisted that they were framed by the prison authorities because of their membership in the Black Panther Party, and their outspoken criticism of prison conditions.
Woodfox had always declared his innocence in the slaying of Miller, a young prison guard stabbed repeatedly with a knife and a lawnmower blade. He was awaiting a third trial in the case when he was released from custody.
King was convicted of killing another inmate, and was exonerated and released in 2001 after spending 29 years in solitary. In 1992, his original conviction was overturned, with the judge citing discrimination in the legal system, but rather than freeing Woodfox, the decision just kicked off decades of legal battles.
Albert Woodfox has been in solitary confinement longer than any other American prisoner, but was released today after over four decades in prison. “I’m afraid I’m going to start screaming and not be able to stop”, he said.
Jeff Landry, the current Louisiana Attorney General, released a statement Friday saying that he and his team of prosecutors believe that, due to the circumstances surrounding the case, the plea is in “The best interest of justice”. “I wasn’t allowed to go to her funeral when I was in Angola, and my sister as well”.
“I hope the events of today will bring closure to many”, Woodfox stated.
“After four decades of isolation, Albert Woodfox’s release is long overdue and undeniably just”, Jasmine Heiss, the senior campaigner at Amnesty International USA’s Individuals and Risk Campaign. This victory belongs to all of us and should motivate us to stand up and demand even more fervently that long-term solitary confinement be abolished, and all the innocent and wrongfully incarcerated be freed. Wallace will now go free Friday because of a plea deal with the state.
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Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled the name of the attorney representing Woodfox on state charges. Kendall said Woodfox has had numerous ailments, including a form of hepatitis, and has lacked quality medical care during his imprisonment.
