San Francisco, February 14 (RHC)-- Former Black Panther leader and political prisoner Marshall “Eddie” Conway passed away Monday in Long Beach, California.  His wife, Dominique Conway, announced his passing on Twitter, saying, “It is hard to find the words necessary to convey my sense of loss, and the enormous loss the world has experienced with the death of my husband.”  He was 76 years old. 

Eddie Conway was a leading member of the Baltimore chapter of the Black Panthers.  He was convicted in 1971 of killing Baltimore police officer Donald Sager the previous year.  But Conway maintained his innocence, saying he was set up.  

For years, Eddie Conway’s supporters campaigned for him to be pardoned.  He was released from prison in 2014 after serving 44 years.