Legal Update on the San Francisco 8: Herman Bell Pleads to Lesser Charge

[XXPANTHAXX]

Everyone is out on bail except for political prisoners Jalil Muntaqim
and Herman Bell, two of the NY3. The third member, Albert Nuh
Washington, died in prison.

June 29, 2009 Court Update

Herman Bell was supported by a courtroom of supporters today as he
entered a plea in the SF 8 case. After legal formalities he left the
courtroom raising a clenched fist to the crowd. The following statement
was issued by his legal team:

Herman Bell Pleads Guilty to Reduced Charge of Voluntary Manslaughter
For a Sentence of Five Years Probation

Today, June 29, 2009, Herman Bell, one of the SF8, will plead (pled)
guilty in Department 22 of the San Francisco Superior Court to the
reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter for his role in the killing of
San Francisco police officer John Young in 1971. Mr. Bell is charged
along with six others with this crime. The other six are still scheduled
to go forward with the preliminary hearing beginning on July 6, 2009.

The other six maintain their innocence and Mr. Bell's plea does not in
any way incriminate them; Mr. Bell supports the others' innocence. Part
of the plea agreement, which will be (was) read in open court, is that
Mr. Bell will not be a witness against his comrades and friends and
cannot be called to any hearing as a witness by the prosecution.

Mr. Bell's plea is based on his unique situation. Mr. Bell was convicted
in 1975 for the killing of two police officers in New York City. He has
been in prison for almost thirty-seven years for those convictions. His
fight for freedom is in New York, where he will continue to fight for
parole. He has been a model prisoner while in New York, where he has
gained graduate degrees and started programs to help other inmates and
the communities from which they come.

Mr. Bell is pleading to the reduced charges of voluntary manslaughter
and is, in fact, receiving no punishment based on his admission of
guilt. His sentence will be that he will be placed on informal probation
for five years and will be allowed to immediately return to New York. He
will receive absolutely no additional prison time for his actions. He
and his attorneys believe that the resolution in this case will not
negatively affect his parole efforts in New York.

The second charge faced by Mr. Bell, conspiracy to kill policemen, will
be (was) dismissed.

Mr. Bell and his supporters see this resolution as a resounding victory.
Mr. Bell was facing life without the possibility of parole in a maximum
security prison in California if convicted. The government, through an
informant, originally alleged that Mr. Bell was the shooter of Sgt
Young. However, it is difficult to believe that the Attorney General of
California, who prosecuted this case, would have allowed Mr. Bell to
plead to a lesser charge with a sentence of only informal probation if
there was credible evidence he had shot Sgt. Young.

Bell and his co-defendants have always maintained that, because of the
torture used by the New Orleans Police Department to gain alleged
confessions and the lack of new evidence, these charges should never
have been brought.

Dolores Michelsen
LAW OFFICES OF HANLON & RIEF
179 11th Street, 2nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94103