Leonard Peltier, an 80-year-old activist, has been released from prison after serving just shy of 50 years for his involvement in a 1975 ambush shooting that resulted in the deaths of two FBI agents on a South Dakota reservation. Peltier's first stop upon release is expected to be a welcome home party at a reservation casino organized by an indigenous rights group to celebrate what they claim was a wrongful incarceration.
Former President Joe Biden granted Peltier clemency in one of his final acts in office, despite strong objections from former FBI Director Christopher Wray and the FBI Agents Association. They labeled Peltier as a remorseless killer who brutally murdered Special Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams, leading to his two consecutive life sentences and an additional seven years for an armed escape attempt.
Peltier's bid for parole was denied in July, with previous clemency requests from Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama also being turned down. However, he found support from prominent Democrats like Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, as well as former Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.
The FBI and former agents have expressed outrage over Peltier's release, emphasizing the brutality of the killings and the lack of remorse shown by Peltier. Despite claims of being a political prisoner and denied a fair trial, Peltier's guilt was upheld through numerous appeals and court evaluations over the years.
The 1975 ambush on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation resulted in the deaths of the two FBI agents, with Peltier being the only one convicted out of the four men initially arrested. Despite his claims of self-defense, evidence pointed to Peltier as the one carrying a weapon capable of firing the fatal shots.
President Biden's decision to commute Peltier's sentence to home confinement was met with mixed reactions, with supporters citing his age, health issues, and leadership in the Native American community as reasons for clemency. However, critics, including the FBI Agents Association, argue that Peltier's lack of remorse and the impact on the victims' families should have weighed more heavily in the decision.
