Hayer affidavits

The Hayer affidavits are two sworn affidavits made by Talmadge Hayer — also known by the name Thomas Hagen — one of the convicted assassins of Malcolm X. The statements give Hayer's account of his involvement in the planning and execution of the murder.

Three men were convicted of the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X: Talmadge Hayer, Norman 3X Butler, and Thomas 15X Johnson.

At first Hayer denied any involvement, but during the trial he confessed to having fired shots into Malcolm X's body. He testified that Butler and Johnson were not present and were not involved in the shooting, but he declined to name the men who had joined him in the shooting. [cite book |last=Kondo |first=Zak A. |title=Conspiracys: Unravelling the Assassination of Malcolm X |year=1993 |publisher=Nubia Press |location=Washington, D.C. |isbn=0-9618815-1-13 |pages=p. 100 ] Nonetheless, all three men were convicted. [cite book |last=Rickford |first=Russell J. |title=Betty Shabazz: A Remarkable Story of Survival and Faith Before and After Malcolm X |year=2003 |publisher=Sourcebooks |location=Naperville, Ill. |isbn=1-4022-0171-0 |pages=p. 289 ]

In 1977 and 1978, Hayer submitted two sworn affidavits re-asserting his claim that Butler and Johnson were not involved in the assassination. In his affidavits Hayer named four men, all members of the Nation of Islam's Newark, New Jersey, Temple Number 25, as having participated with him in the crime. Hayer asserted that a man he knew as "Wilbur" or "Kinly", later identified as Wilbur McKinley, shouted and threw a smoke bomb to create a diversion. Hayer said that a man named "Willie", later identified as William Bradley, had a shotgun and was the first to fire on Malcolm X after the diversion. Hayer asserted that he and a man named "Lee" or "Leon", later identified as Leon David, both armed with pistols, fired on Malcolm X immediately after the shotgun blast. Hayer also said that a man named "Ben", later identified as Benjamin Thomas, was involved in the conspiracy.cite book |last=Bush |first=Roderick |title=We Are Not What We Seem: Black Nationalism and Class Struggle in the American Century |year=1999 |publisher=New York University Press |location=New York |isbn=0-8147-1317-3 |pages=p. 179 ] cite book |last=Friedly |first=Michael |title=Malcolm X: The Assassination |year=1992 |publisher=Carroll & Graf |location=New York |isbn=0-88184-922-7 ] Hayer's statements failed to convince authorities to reopen their investigation of the murder.cite book |last=Gardell |first=Mattias |title=In the Name of Elijah Muhammad: Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam |year=1996 |publisher=Duke University Press |location=Durham, N. C. |isbn=0-8223-1845-8 |pages=p. 81 ]

Butler, now known as Muhammad Abdul Aziz, was paroled in 1985. He became the head of the Nation of Islam's Harlem mosque in New York in 1998. He continues to maintain his innocence. [cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/71838.stm |title=Malcolm X killer heads mosque |accessdate=2008-08-01 |date=1998-03-31 |publisher=BBC News ] Johnson, now known as Khalil Islam, was released from prison in 1987. During his time in prison, he rejected the teachings of the Nation of Islam and converted to Sunni Islam. He, too, maintains his innocence. [cite web |url=http://nymag.com/news/features/38358/ |title=The Man Who Didn’t Shoot Malcolm X |accessdate=2008-08-01 |last=Jacobson |first=Mark |date=2007-10-01 |work=New York ] Hayer, now known as Mujahid Halim, was paroled in 1993. [Rickford, p. 489]

As of 1993, William Bradley was in prison on a charge unrelated to the assassination of Malcolm X. Benjamin Thomas died in 1986. As of 1989, Leon Davis was reported to be living in Paterson, New Jersey. Little is known about McKinley, and one researcher has concluded that he is dead. [Kondo, pp. 203–205.]

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