Malcolm X Assassin Released
Question is, was 45 years behind bars long enough to make up for what he did?
Thomas Hagan was the only person who ever admitted to being involved in the murder of the great civil rights leader, Malcolm X. Since 1965, he has been in jail, fulfilling his sentence, for a crime he admits was the deed of a young man who "acted out of rage on impulse and loyalty" to religious leaders.
Now, at age 69, he has finally been paroled and released, a decision that took 17 times for the courts to agree to and is highly objected to by groups dedicated to Malcolm X's memory.
Hagan has expressed constant regret for what he has done and now that he is free, he is hoping to use the master's degree he received in sociology while serving time to become a substance abuse counselor.
That's nice, but there are just some things can't be undone.
[Image via AP Images.]
Tags: malcolm x, parole, thomas hagan
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Ok, so he's supposedly matured and now feels bad for what he did?? This is why I can't stand the judicial system… one person kills and gets life or the death penalty, another person kills and gets the luxury of being released to live his life. Sick, sick, world.
Thank you, Mario.
After all, it's not like Sirhan Sirhan, Sen. Bobby Kennedy's assassin, is being sprung loose. Why is this killer being set free?
It is disappointing to NYers and Americans. The former Malcolm Little was brutally murdered in front of his wife and young daughters.
Rest in peace, Malcolm.
@@@@@@@ if yall dont know whats about to go down then maybe you deserve it… keep sleeping…..farewell….i aint gonna post no more or visit a site full of zombies …………
Re: CrozCryz – agreed
'great' is not a word I'd used to describe some one who preach violence like he did.
though, that dosen't make what Hagan did right, neither of them were right.
Violence is never, EVER nessicary.
So I paid for this cold blooded murdere to not only get his undergrad, but his masters? I cant afford to send myself to school, but I get to pay for this guy? Just amazing.
no action can ever be undone. once something has happened then its happened. it was time he was released, hopefully it will mark a 'moving on' from that time. he can do good in the world now and he did only kill one person (i understand an important, influential person - but still just one) a drug dealer can be responsible for the deaths of hundreds or thousands and not get a tenth of the sentance he received.
The man did the crime, served the time he was sentenced to, showed regret for his actions and made something better out of his life. That's the American justice system at it's best.
Or maybe you'd rather live in a place where they just behead people for any crazy ass thing they come up with?
what the hell should i be scared
There is a legal system to make sure that people like you or other groups with lynch-mob aspirations do not get to decide whether they can have their revenge or not.
There is crime and there is punishment, punishment ends at one point or the other.
Do I need to mention that I do not live the US, but in a country that has since long abolished the death penalty? And for a reason.
both hagan and malcolm x were misguided and misunderstood. their lives just played out differently. hagan has spent 45 years of his life behind bars for his crime, which will never be sufficient for some, but can anyone fathom being shut off from society for that long? i think he's had his punishment.
Re: therealstinkweed – well put. he did the crime, did the time & went through the Justice system. leave this guy alone.
Re: slite – you have obviously not clue how the legal system works. You did not pay a CENT for his masters. detainees actually WORK during imprisonment, for a ridiculous wage which is largely claimed by the state. detainees an do with this as they please, but of course there aren't many options to spend the money. good for him of he spent it on a masters. and you can be sure he did not get it from an ivory league school.
you want to send you kids to school? work then, too!
I don't know what to say to this since the other killers of well known figures in the civil rights movement have not be release. Why is he getting release? Though I agree violence is not the way to get things done since Martin Luther King got more done without it and another example that comes to mind is Ghandi.
Its kind of dumb that people are upset at him being released because he killed malcom x if someone else got released after serving the same amount of time for the same type of crime I highly doubt people would be making such a big stink about it…
I personally think he should of got the death sentence, but we can thank liberals for this guy being let out and having the luxury of living out the rest of his life a free man. If it were in the hands of Republicans this crazy assassin would have been fried and put to rest. Once again, thanks for all the great work Democrats!!!
I love how ignorant people are of Malcolm X… they hear people claim he advocated violence and jump on the bandwagon. Learn more before speaking. Read his auto-bio… it will change your life. Malcolm X preached SELF DEFENSE. He was rightfully fed up with all the violence and lynchings towards his people. Anyone can half-ass say "Violence is never the answer, EVER", but wouldn't you be militant too if you knew there was a chance someone could hang you just because you were fighting for equal rights?
Malcolm X supporter, advocates for peace each and every one of them, will kill this guy within a year.
Ummm, this isn't the whole story. He wasn't even close to behind bars for 45 years. He was on a work release program that allowed him to go to work mon-fri and after work, go directly home. He was not allowed to do anything outside of his house, but go to work. He served time behind bars on the WEEKENDS! And for the poster that said something about democrats being responsible….no way. Republicans probably wanted him out this whole time to reward him for shooting himself a black man. Either way, it sucks. Take a life, spend yours alone in a cell. Sounds fair to me.
He's served his time, he's spent most of his adult life in jail. He made a mistake, he did an unforgivable thing which can never be justified but he's suffered for it. He wants to become a counselor so hopefully now he can do some good with his life and help anothers.
Unbelievable that the people of America paid for this guy to get a fricking Master's degree when so many can't afford that for themselves. What is wrong with that picture?
um, I wouldn't really call Malcolm X "great". personally, I've always considered him as racist.
no now he needs to serve to the rights for freedom of all. He committed a vicious and hanous act and should serve for the rest of his life to help those being hated against..if he has gone before GOD. God will tell him his duty, not his profit!
Re: anajemstaht – You are kidding yourself. There are alot of tax dollars at work there, and those detainees should have to work their asses off and be thankful they have a bed and a roof over their heads and 3 meals a day…alot more than some outside those bars get. He did not earn an education, nor deserve it, and nobody's going to hire a murderer so a waste of money. Re: anajemstaht – I understand that prison is not all about punishment, those facilities keep dangerous people away from civilization, I am humane and don't think people should suffer. I think after 45 years they should just let him stay there, I'm sure he will never be able to lead a comfortable peaceful life outside prison. He will be hated by too many people. Sadly it will not matter to them whether he has served his time or not, people of that country love bloodshed.
The great Malcome x?? Right..he called white women "devils" and was one of the biggest raciest EVER. There was nothing great about him..he was ignorant when it came to the white race. There are bad apples in all races..it's called being human..so for him to bascially say that all the WHITE women who seduced him BEFORE he became a muslim were devils and that was their sole agenda is fricking ignorant..of course his own LUST wasn't to blame it was the devil while woman…STUPID! He's just another racist that thinks his race was the best and blamed other races because he wasn't a successful as them…a cry baby and hate promoter that's all he was.
Malcolm X didnt preach Violence you fools! He preached justice. An eye for an eye. Cant wait to hear the report that this sorry excuse for a black man is dead. Cant wait!
Re: Spitfire1 – Wow. Are you really this ignorant? I mean REALLY! Did you read about Malcom X's trip to Mecca? It changed his life, and his views and perception about White people. Let me explain this to a simpleton like you, you see, unlike the US during the 1960's, many other countires were not oppressing, hating and lynching African-Americans. He saw unity among all races. His views changed towards his death. The Nation of Islam then declared him a traitor. Read read read!
Re: Spitfire1 – Do you know anything about Malcolm X? He grew up with not the best background anyone could have, with his father murdered and his mother sent a mental hospital. Okay, yer he went to prison and it was there he would meet a member of the nation of Islam. By parole, he was on his way to being a big spokesman to the group. He believed in self-defending and was prepared to use violent to do it, which was not what martin luther king wanted. However, okay he may of been a little racist - but not let forget that he changed his mind, and decided that not all white people were bad and left the Nation of Islam to justify something else. It was this that lead to the 'still' members of the Nation of Islam to shoot him in cold blooded murder in front of his wife and small daughters. Justify that. Now the man that did that - is free from his luxury prison cell to live a free life. The other two, never got sentenced down - they just went on.
perez, you do not spend 45 years in JAIL. any term longer than a year is spent in PRISON. this mistake is common, and it drives me fucking crazy.
lol the guy is almost 70 how much of a life does he have left?
no i dont agree that he murdered X but he paid his debt let him live in peace
I'm so glad to notice that for every ignorant person calling Malcolm X a racist with no knowledge of his life or his teaching's their is somebody who understands how relevant he was. Malcolm X was an inspiration, for so many people and continues to be today. I'm White and Irish and even I have the understanding to see that he was NOT a racisit!!Far from it. MAlcolm X was a self educated opinionated man, which led much of white america to fear him. Black Nationalisim was put forward by Lincoln who was considered the great emancipater, when the nation of islam put it forward they were racist.
Anyways… Hagan, was freed from a minimum security prison, He had already been in a full time release program, meaning he lived at home mon - fri. How is that justice for murdering an innocent man?? if he felt remorse and wanted justice he would have named the other two killers.
Wheter you like what MAlcolm X stood for or not, he was an innocent man, stalked and threatened with death for months, only to be gunned down in front of his family, for simply leaving an orgainisation.
he looks like mariah carey husband
The guys 69-dont think hes a danger to anyone.Also-45 yrs is a lot longer than most murderers get. I guess it was pc to keep him in that long.As Malcolm X was such a strong advocate of violence-his fate was no surprise.