Leonard Peltier denied parole in 1975 shootout that killed FBI Special Agents Ronald Williams and Jack Coler
President of FBI Agents Association discusses parole hearing for man who executed 2 colleagues
Leonard Peltier was convicted of killing FBI Special Agents Jack R. Coler and Ronald A. Williams in 1975. Now 79, he's up for parole.
The U.S. Parole Commission has denied parole to Leonard Peltier, a far-left Native American activist who has been in prison for decades for the murders of two FBI agents executed after a shootout in 1975.
"The brutal murders of Special Agents Jack R. Coler and Ronald A. Williams remain a deep wound for the FBI family, and Peltier's lack of remorse only compounds the tragedy," Natalie Bara, president of the FBI Agents Association, told Fox News Digital. "We believe this decision upholds justice for our fallen colleagues and their families."
Both the FBI and the FBIAA, a professional organization representing 14,000 current and former agents, vehemently opposed Peltier's release.
FBI Special Agents Ronald Williams, left, and Jack Coler, right, pictured in their official FBI portraits. Both men were executed at point-blank range on June 26, 1975 after being injured in a shootout. (FBI)
Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama both denied Peltier's prior requests for clemency. However, his quest for release has support from prominent Democrats in Congress, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, and Obama-era Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland.
Peltier, now 79 and in poor health, is serving two consecutive life sentences for the slayings, plus another seven years for an armed escape attempt. His supporters fear he will die in prison and are now looking to President Biden to set him free.
On June 26, 1975, FBI special agents Ronald Williams and Jack Coler were looking for a group of armed robbery suspects in the Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Although Peltier wasn't one of them, he was traveling in a vehicle that caught the agents' attention.
Leonard Peltier, American Indian Movement leader, is led across Oakalla prison exercise yard to a waiting helicopter. After a prolonged legal battle, Peltier was ordered deported by Canadian Justice Minister Ron Basford to face charges of murdering two FBI agents. (Bettmann/Contributor via Getty Images)
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Unbeknownst to them, he was also the subject of an arrest warrant for the attempted murder of an off-duty police officer in Wisconsin.
According to court documents, Williams warned Coler over the radio that someone in the vehicle was about to start shooting at them.
Gunfire erupted. Both agents were wounded. According to the FBI, both agents were executed with point-blank gunshots to the head from an AR-15, and witnesses said the only person with an AR-15 involved in the shootout was Peltier.
Circa 1985: American Indian Movement (AIM) activist Leonard Peltier, who was convicted in 1976 of the murder of FBI agents Ronald Williams and Jack Coler. (MPI/Getty Images)
He fled to Canada, where he was captured and extradited to the U.S. to face justice.
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Coler, originally from Bakersfield, California, had been an LAPD officer before joining the FBI in 1971. Williams was also a California native, from Glendale. He joined the FBI in 1972.
Four men were arrested in their deaths, but only Peltier was convicted, according to the FBI. The government dropped charges against James Eagle, the robbery suspect Williams and Coler were looking for at the start of the shootout. Two other men, Robert Robideau and Darrelle Butler, were acquitted at trial in 1976.
Peltier's supporters have argued that his initial 1977 conviction was based on shoddy evidence and "prosecutorial misconduct." But he failed to have it overturned after more than a dozen appeals, including two that reached the Supreme Court.
1970s FBI mugshot of Leonard Peltier, who at the time had been added to the FBI's list of "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives." (Bettmann)
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Prior to the parole commission's decision, FBI Director Christopher Wray vocally opposed Peltier's release.
"The FBI remains resolute in our opposition to Leonard Peltier’s latest application for parole," he told Fox News Digital. "Peltier was convicted of the brutal murder of FBI Special Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams at South Dakota's Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1975. We must never forget or put aside that Peltier intentionally murdered these two young men and has never expressed remorse for his ruthless actions."
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Twenty-two federal judges looked at the evidence and heard Peltier's legal arguments, he added.
"Peltier’s claims are meritless, and his convictions and sentence must stand," he said. "In addition, Peltier’s crimes include a post-conviction escape from federal custody, during which he and his crew fired shots at prison employees."
