Manhattan DA will move to exonerate two men convicted of killing Malcolm X
The conviction of the third man, who had confessed to the murder at the time of his trial, still stands
Two men convicted of killing Black activist and civil rights advocate Malcolm X in 1965 will be exonerated, the Manhattan district attorney's office said on Wednesday, saying it will move to "vacate the wrongful convictions."
It would be an official acknowledgement of errors made in the case.
Malcolm X rose to prominence as the national spokesman of the Nation of Islam, an African-American Muslim group that espoused Black separatism. He spent over a decade with the group before becoming disillusioned, publicly breaking with it in 1964 and moderating some of his earlier views on racial separation.
He was shot dead at New York City's Audubon Ballroom while preparing to deliver a speech. Three members of the Nation of Islam were convicted in the shooting. In 1966, the three defendants were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
The conviction of the third man, who had confessed to the murder at the time of his trial, still stands.
The district attorney's move was first reported by the New York Times and confirmed to Reuters by a spokesperson for the Manhattan DA's office.