Anna Mae Aquash’s daughter shares her mother’s fears before her death and the long fight for justice in the 1975 case.
Anna Mae Aquash’s daughter shares her mother’s fears before her death and the long fight for justice in the 1975 case.
Daughter Reveals FBI Links in AIM Activist’s Murder; Last Words Haunt
Anna Mae died in the woods in 1975. Her daughter, Denise, spoke about it. Denise says her mom asked her to protect her sister weeks before the murder. The death caused lasting pain. Denise fights for justice still.
A rancher found a body in South Dakota in 1976. The body wore jeans and a red jacket. The coroner said she was dead for two months and was shot in the head at close-range.
The body was Anna Mae Aquash. She was 30 years old. Anna Mae helped lead the American Indian Movement (AIM). AIM fought police brutality and for Indigenous rights. Some in AIM thought the FBI killed her to scare them.
No one was convicted for 23 years. Then, a woman wore a wire and got key clues about the murder. Arlo Looking Cloud and John Graham got prison.
Looking Cloud said he helped kill her. He said Graham shot her, adding that Anna Mae prayed before she died. Prosecutors think others helped them.
AIM members suspected Anna Mae. She got out of jail fast after protests while others had to go to trial. This made some think she was an informant and Denise says AIM interrogated her mom at gunpoint.
Denise says Anna Mae knew she would die. She gave Denise advice before her death, telling her to care for her sister and to always speak the truth.
Denise feels another person was involved. A documentary explores her mom’s death and she thinks Leonard Peltier was involved. Peltier was in prison for murder, but his sentence was later commuted.
Peltier was convicted in a 1975 shooting in which two FBI agents died in South Dakota. It was around the time Anna Mae died and prosecutors said he shot them. He said he fired a gun in self-defense.
Many wanted Peltier to be pardoned. While Biden commuted his sentence, allowing him to serve it at home, Denise says Peltier stayed silent about her mom for years.
Leonard Peltier is an AIM member and was convicted of killing two FBI agents at Pine Ridge. Peltier says he did not do it.
There were no witnesses to the agents’ deaths. The murder weapon remains unknown, and the car that led agents there is also questioned. The FBI hid documents about the case. After years of lobbying, Biden commuted his sentence.
The White House said it was not a pardon, merely letting Peltier live at home. His lawyer called it an “act of mercy” given Peltier’s declining health.
Denise says Anna Mae spoke against AIM’s wrong actions. Denise also says AIM had a “dark side.” It was full of “hypocrisy” and she claims Leonard interrogated her mom. Her sister begged her not to return.
Anna Mae wanted to prove she was not an informant. Leonard supported her killers, Denise said, despite trial testimony showing otherwise.
Peltier’s supporters are happy about the sentence commute. But law officials are upset and former FBI Director Wray called him a “remorseless killer,” sending a private letter to Biden.
He said giving Peltier any relief is wrong and an “affront to the rule of law.” Denise carries on her mother’s legacy, advocating for Indigenous women and girls.
Denise says her mom was fierce in her advocacy. She spoke the truth, even if ugly. She ignited a fire in Denise, who now speaks the truth.
She fights for justice and holds those who killed her mom accountable. This is how she lives her life and advocates for missing Indigenous women.
AIM began in 1968. It mirrored the Black Panthers and wanted nonviolence for Indigenous people. It began by focusing on poverty and police abuse.
It widened to include tribal issues like treaty rights and unemployment. They sought better education and preserving culture. AIM started with American Indian men in prison.
The group had big protests. These include Alcatraz in 1969, the Trail of Broken Treaties in 1972, AIM occupied Wounded Knee, and the Longest Walk.
Anna Mae died in the woods in 1975. Her daughter, Denise, spoke about it. Denise says her mom asked her to protect her sister weeks before the murder. The death caused lasting pain. Denise fights for justice still.
A rancher found a body in South Dakota in 1976. The body wore jeans and a red jacket. The coroner said she was dead for two months and was shot in the head at close-range.
The body was Anna Mae Aquash. She was 30 years old. Anna Mae helped lead the American Indian Movement (AIM). AIM fought police brutality and for Indigenous rights. Some in AIM thought the FBI killed her to scare them.
No one was convicted for 23 years. Then, a woman wore a wire and got key clues about the murder. Arlo Looking Cloud and John Graham got prison.
Looking Cloud said he helped kill her. He said Graham shot her, adding that Anna Mae prayed before she died. Prosecutors think others helped them.
AIM members suspected Anna Mae. She got out of jail fast after protests while others had to go to trial. This made some think she was an informant and Denise says AIM interrogated her mom at gunpoint.
Denise says Anna Mae knew she would die. She gave Denise advice before her death, telling her to care for her sister and to always speak the truth.
Denise feels another person was involved. A documentary explores her mom’s death and she thinks Leonard Peltier was involved. Peltier was in prison for murder, but his sentence was later commuted.
Peltier was convicted in a 1975 shooting in which two FBI agents died in South Dakota. It was around the time Anna Mae died and prosecutors said he shot them. He said he fired a gun in self-defense.
Many wanted Peltier to be pardoned. While Biden commuted his sentence, allowing him to serve it at home, Denise says Peltier stayed silent about her mom for years.
Leonard Peltier is an AIM member and was convicted of killing two FBI agents at Pine Ridge. Peltier says he did not do it.
There were no witnesses to the agents’ deaths. The murder weapon remains unknown, and the car that led agents there is also questioned. The FBI hid documents about the case. After years of lobbying, Biden commuted his sentence.
The White House said it was not a pardon, merely letting Peltier live at home. His lawyer called it an “act of mercy” given Peltier’s declining health.
Denise says Anna Mae spoke against AIM’s wrong actions. Denise also says AIM had a “dark side.” It was full of “hypocrisy” and she claims Leonard interrogated her mom. Her sister begged her not to return.
Anna Mae wanted to prove she was not an informant. Leonard supported her killers, Denise said, despite trial testimony showing otherwise.
Peltier’s supporters are happy about the sentence commute. But law officials are upset and former FBI Director Wray called him a “remorseless killer,” sending a private letter to Biden.
He said giving Peltier any relief is wrong and an “affront to the rule of law.” Denise carries on her mother’s legacy, advocating for Indigenous women and girls.
Denise says her mom was fierce in her advocacy. She spoke the truth, even if ugly. She ignited a fire in Denise, who now speaks the truth.
She fights for justice and holds those who killed her mom accountable. This is how she lives her life and advocates for missing Indigenous women.
AIM began in 1968. It mirrored the Black Panthers and wanted nonviolence for Indigenous people. It began by focusing on poverty and police abuse.
It widened to include tribal issues like treaty rights and unemployment. They sought better education and preserving culture. AIM started with American Indian men in prison.
The group had big protests. These include Alcatraz in 1969, the Trail of Broken Treaties in 1972, AIM occupied Wounded Knee, and the Longest Walk.