John Artis, co-defendant of 'Hurricane' Carter, dies at 75

HAMPTON, Va. – John Artis, who was wrongly convicted with boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter successful a triple execution lawsuit made celebrated successful a 1975 opus by Bob Dylan and a 1999 movie staring Denzel Washington, has died. He was 75.

Artis died connected Nov. 7 of a gastric aneurysm astatine his location successful Hampton, Virginia, said Fred Hogan, his longtime person who worked to assistance overturn the convictions of Artis and Carter.

Artis and Carter were convicted successful a 1966 slaying astatine a barroom successful Paterson, New Jersey. The 3 victims were white; witnesses said the 2 men who killed them were Black. Artis and Carter were each sentenced to 3 beingness presumption aft being convicted by an all-white assemblage based chiefly connected the grounds of 2 thieves who aboriginal recanted.

Dylan became alert of Carter’s plight aft speechmaking the boxer’s autobiography. He met Carter and co-wrote the opus “Hurricane,” which helium performed connected his Rolling Thunder Revue circuit successful 1975. After years of appeals and advocacy, including by the boxing large Muhammad Ali and different celebrities, the men were released.

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Artis was paroled successful 1981. In 1985, U.S. District Judge H. Lee Sarokin threw retired the convictions, penning that the prosecution had been “predicated upon an entreaty to racism alternatively than reason, and concealment alternatively than disclosure.”

Hogan said Artis was the “forgotten man” successful the case, which drew wide attraction to Carter, but small to Artis. He said Carter often called Artis his “hero” due to the fact that Artis turned down an connection for a reduced situation word if helium would implicate Carter successful the killings. Artis and Carter remained adjacent friends until Carter died successful 2014, Hogan said.

“John was promised a batch of things that would person helped himself debar situation if helium would accidental that Rubin was progressive successful the crime. John said, ‘I’m not lying. We didn’t bash it, we weren’t there, and I’m not going to get progressive successful immoderate of that,’ ” Hogan said.

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Hogan said Artis moved backmost to Virginia, wherever helium was calved and spent portion of his childhood, successful the precocious 1980s. The New York Times reports that Artis counseled inmates astatine the Norfolk Juvenile Detention Center.

Artis besides volunteered and worked connected wrongful condemnation cases some successful the U.S. and Canada, Hogan said.

“He had a comparatively steadfast cognition compared to what astir radical would have. He wanted to conscionable enactment that (prison time) down him,” Hogan said.

“He ever had a smile, and his celebrated saying was, ‘Cool beans.’ ”

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