N.J. State Police honor slain trooper, call for escaped killer's return from Cuba

N.J. State Police honor slain trooper, call for escaped killer's return
from Cuba
By S.P. Sullivan | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on November 18, 2015 at 6:10 PM, updated November 19, 2015 at 12:06 AM

EAST BRUNSWICK — As officials dedicated a monument Wednesday to
Trooper Werner Foerster, not far from where he was slain in a 1973
shootout, the head of the State Police vowed to bring his escaped killer
to justice.

And the state's attorney general, engaged in a legal fight over the
possible parole of Joanne Chesimard's accomplice, Sundiata Acoli,
pledged to fight his release.

Foerster, who was 34 and on the force just three years when he was
killed, was remembered Wednesday as a dedicated trooper, husband and
father cut down in the prime of his life.

"This remains an open wound," Col. Rick Fuentes, the State Police
superintendent, told reporters next to the black roadside monument
erected in Foerster's memory.

The trooper's murder by the members of the Black Liberation Army more
than four decades ago remains an emotional flashpoint for members of the
state's law enforcement community. But it's also become a vexing
political problem for government officials as the U.S. restores
diplomatic relations with Cuba, which for years has harbored the
fugitive Chesimard.

"She escaped justice in 1979, and we have never let up," said Fuentes,
who has led the campaign for Chesimard's return to serve her murder
sentence. "We've been tireless over many years to try to bring her back
into the country."

Authorities say it began with a broken tail light. Foerster and Trooper
James Harper pulled over the white Pontiac containing Chesimard, Acoli,
and James F. Costan in the early hours of May 2, 1973.

The three black nationalists were armed, and in a struggle with police
wounded Harper and disarmed Foerster, killing him with his own gun.

Costan, known as Zayd Malik Shakur, was also killed in the melee.

Chesimard, now known as Assata Shakur, and Acoli were later convicted
for Foerster's murder, but Chesimard escaped from prison in 1979 and
fled to Cuba.

Acoli, formerly known as Clark Edward Squire, remains in prison for his
role in the murder, but the state Supreme Court is currently weighing a
challenge to the parole board's denial of his bid for release.

Acting Attorney General John Hoffman, whose office argued recently
before the Supreme Court against Acoli's release, said Wednesday they
would "continue the legal fight for justice over the issue of parole."

State officials say Acoli should remain in prison for his entire life
sentence.

Chesimard, meanwhile, is one of the FBI's most wanted fugitive
terrorists. In 2005, the reward for her capture was set at $1 million,
and last year it was raised to $2 million.

Fuentes said Chesimard, who was granted political asylum in
Cuba, "enjoys privileges normally afforded only to the Cuban political
and military elite."

Her status there has been the cause of tension between U.S. and Cuban
officials as the two nations seek to restore diplomatic relations.

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) has been pressing for
Chesimard's extradition, and Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican candidate
for president, has vehemently opposed a plan to renew airline flights
between Cuba and Newark International Airport until Chesimard is returned.

During initial talks over re-establishing diplomatic ties, international
media outlets reported that the U.S. State Department was negotiating
the return of Chesimard and other fugitives hiding in Cuba, but the
provision was not part of the final agreement.

"Earlier this year, there was a golden opportunity to pressure the Cuban
government to turn over Chesimard," Fuentes said Wednesday. "It was
apparently not a priority."

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com.

Source: N.J. State Police honor slain trooper, call for escaped killer's
return from Cuba | NJ.com -
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/11/state_police_honor_trooper_killed_by_cuban_fugitiv.html