Justice Denied: Rubin "Hurricane" Carter
Crime Scene
At Approximately 2:30 in the morning on June 17, 1966, two black men robbed the Lafayette Bar and Grill in Paterson, NJ, and fatally shot three white men.
The Investigation
Patricia Valentine, an eyewitness who lived in the tavern above, immediately reported seeing two black men flee in a white car. Four minutes after the shooting a Patterson police officer chased a white car that fitted the witnesses' description, heading out of town. Unfortunately the car got away. Upon his return the same officer stopped another car located 14 blocks away from the Lafayette Bar, leased by Rubin Carter. Inside he found three, not two, black men, including Rubin Carter in the back seat. The three men told the officer they we're returning home from a local club to get some money. Because the officer saw no signs of weapons, and the driver was not speeding, as well as the fact that there were three men instead of two, they were not detained.
English: Former middleweight boxer Rubin Carter; f...
English: Former middleweight boxer Rubin Carter; f...
English: Former middleweight boxer Rubin Carter; f...Around 15 minutes later the same car was found outside the La Petite Bar, while five minutes later the car was seen again, this time with only two occupants inside. Because the white car now seemingly fit the description of a fleeing suspect, police escorted both men to the scene of the crime. No one at the scene identified Carter or Artis as the killers, and when they were later taken to the hospital, where surviving victims fighting for their lives, did not identify either of the men. While in custody, both men took a lie detector test. Carter's lawyer maintained both men passed it, while prosecution claimed the results could mean the men didn't commit the crime themselves, but most likely knew who did. At 7p.m on June seventeenth...