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Judge dismisses case against Aquash murder suspect
Friday, October 3, 2008
Filed Under: Law

A federal judge dismissed an indictment against a Canadian man who is accused of murdering Anna Mae Pictou Aquash.

Judge Lawrence Piersol said the charges against John Graham failed to identify him as an "Indian" under federal law. Graham is Tsimshian from the Yukon in Canada and is not a member of a U.S.-recognized tribe.

Aquash, who was killed on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota in December 1975 was Mi'kmaq from Nova Scotia in Canada. She was not a member of a U.S. tribe either but it does not appear Piersol based his decision on this factor, going by the Associated Press report.

In response to the dismissal, the U.S. Attorney in South Dakota filed a new indictment against Graham that lists alternative charges and identifies both Graham and Aquash as "Indian."

Get the Story:
South Dakota AIM slaying charges dismissed (AP 10/3)
Charges dismissed against Canadian activist in 32-year-old U.S. murder (Canwest News Service 10/3)

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