Posted by [EMAIL PROTECTED] :
distributed via FN list by Mike W
Subject: Florida AIM statement at this time
Date: Tue, 9 Nov 1999 16:00:16 EST
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: list suppressed
Greetings:
In this malestrom of Anna Mae Aquash allegations, counterallegations and
just plain bs from people who have no clue it is helpful to review the facts
and seperate them from the conjecture and the same between the conjecture and
the rumors.
FACTS
1) Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash was a AIM member who was murdered.
2) Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash's body was found in February 1976. FBI SA David
Price determined, despite blood on the head and pooled around it, that this
case was not under the major crimes act and therefore no substantive crime
scene was developed.
3) FBI SA David Price despite having interviewed and searching for Anna Mae
Aquash (who was basically on the run at this point) could not identify her
and had her hands sent to DC
4) FBI Pathologist WO Brown concluded that she had died of exposure. His
report does not note a sexual crime as having occured
5) WKLDOC atty Bruce Ellison and AIM National leaders obtain a Hennepin
County (MN) pathologist to reautopsy the body. This pathologist noticed the
hole in her head and further investigated and found no evidence of sex
crimes.
6) 21 days after the body of Anna Mae Aquash had been found the FBI
opened a murder investigation which continued 23 years later
7) At least two grand juries have been convened and no one has yet been
charged-let alone prosecuted.
8) Anna Mae Tanaquodle is known to be a FBI paid confidential informant
posing as an AIM member to create confusion. Her activities raise suspicions
about Anna Mae Aquash.
9) Anna Mae Aquash is interrogated by members of the Northwest AIM group at
the 1975 National AIM convention in Farmington, NM regarding her being an
agent.
10) US Marshal Robert Ecoffey, former head of the BIA Police on Pine Ridge,
reopens Anna Mae investigation-without having subject matter jursidiction.
Investigation ends without any suspects being named as Ecoffey gets position
with BIA
11) Denver Police Department INTELLIGENCE BUREAU detective Abe Alonzo comes
on the case-he investigates and no one is charged. Denver PD transfer the
case to the homicide cold case unit
12) Robert Brancombe, Anna Mae Pictou Aquash's second cousin begins
investigating by at least 1997 (earliest public record).
13) Russell Means, former Rapid City Police Department employee Ward
Churchill and Branscombe hold a press conference in the Denver federal
building next to the FBI office to announce they know who did it and that all
the AIM leadership-besides him, conspired to order to have Anna Mae killed.
14) In the 31 year history of AIM no informant has been executed. Not Doug
Durham, Virginia De Luce, Joe Molano, John Arrelano.....
15) The three names being alleged to have killed Anna Mae Aquash are/were
close associates of Harold David Hill-who is a close associate of Russell
Means.
CONJECTURE
These are pieces of information available mostly from News From Indian
Country which pieced together available trial transcripts, grand jury
testimonies, and interviews conducted to make these deductions regarding Anna
Mae's murder
1) Anna Mae was taken from Troy Lynn Yellow Wood's home in December 1975
2) She was questioned in Rapid City possibly by AIM leaders
3) She is taken from the home of David Hill and Thelma Rios
4) She is killed by the same individuals alleged by Means-Branscombe.
5) Two of the individuals-according to Brancombe solely, have been given
blanket immunity from prosecution by the FBI, South Dakota and Canadian
authorities. At the Branscombe-Means conference this is altered to one of the
individuals.
6) There is no conjecture in the NFIC investigation as to the involvement of
AIM's national leaders-including Means or Mr. Hill or Ms. Rios.
RUMORS
1) Means-Churchill-Branscombe assert that National AIM leaders ordered the
"hit" by the three individuals alleged to have done so.
Problem-The factionalism within the movement is old. The three individuals
alleged have ties to Russell but not the other leadership. Further no actual
informant-upon which hard evidence was obtained or learned, was executed
making it difficult to understand why Anna Mae Aquash would be singled out
for such harsh punishment. Further there are no other examples of AIM doing
executions of anyone-not Janklow, not Durham or any other ghoul.
2) The basis of the above rumor is one of the individuals alleged to have
done this confessed and must be telling the truth because he has immunity.
Problem- Too many allegedlies. But granting that if the individual alleged
to have killed Anna Mae, allegedly has such blanket immunity as Branscombe
describes then the idea he must be telling the truth doesn't hold. The only
reason he would not have been prosecuted for 23 years and given blanket
immunity from at least three agencies would be a important relationship with
those agencies that would be presumed to be ongoing. Giving the alleged
suspect plenty of reason to prevaricate. Presuming the original agreement
involved AIM, consider that AIM is resurging as never before with White Clay,
Mobridge, Sisseton and Peltier's case all mushrooming at this time and
certain to deflate-at least to a degree with this bombshell being unleashed.
3)Vernon & Clyde Bellecourt are federal plants involved in the Anna Mae
murder scheme.
Problem-One its too neat. Kinda like the wish list for the Autonomous
groups. Second the individuals alleged to have done this were tied to Russell
Mean's group. Third anyone who knows Russell would know keeping him out of
the loop on a key issue on his turf would be one impossible task-keeping him
out of it for 23 years isn't even remotely credible-considering again these
are his people. Thirdly why would the alleged murderer/confessor risk his
immunity agreements-which if they are as blanket as alleged would have to be
to protect an informant. Makes no sense. Further if Vernon or Clyde are key
players in this along with Bruce Ellison why exhume the body. Makes more
sense to let everyone think its exposure and leave it at that. Instead they
lead the call for exhumation-along with the family and provided a top notch
pathologist. Further Vernon provided information and helped Paul DeMain with
his inquiry by NFIC. Why do that if you are guilty.
Finally note the most recent investigator, who is being praised by
Means-Branscombe-Churchill is not a homicide investigator, not a cold-case
expert but an INTELLIGENCE detective. What possible reason would an
INTELLIGENCE detective be interested in a 23 year old murder case involvinng
AIM. And where did the press conference occur-The federal building in a room
next to the FBI. Since when is the US government in the habit of leasing
space to AIM leaders-past or present. Think John Trudell could get a room at
the Hoover building to give a speech?
The truth should come out as to who killed Anna Mae, it may very well be that
those three individuals did it. But if it was a AIM'ster that did it why
haven't they been prosecuted? In 1976 the FBI was nailing AIM members for
things they might have possibly been near when a criminal act was done. To
think that they GAVE IMMUNITY to two guys for no reason, let alone didn't
prosecute AIM members and didn't scream from the highest mountain top that a
movement they were spending effort and money to destroy, killed a martyr of
their cause seems far to good to pass up. Why would they pass that up. The
answer doesn't involve the Bellecourts, Bill Means, Ted Means, John Trudell
or Dennis Banks. Probably doesn't even involve Russell. Who it may involve
leads the real questions.
Yes, lets have the truth, lets have closure for Anna Mae's weary daughters
and her third cousin. But lets have it for real. Not some finger pointing
party where one can validate themselves and boost their ego and future.
Sincerely,
Sheridan Murphy
