Assata Shakur, wanted Black Liberation Army member, dies at 78 in Cuba

JoAnn Chesimard, aka Assata Shakur, holding the manuscript of her autobiography with Old Havana, Cuba, in the background on October 7, 1987. (Photo by Ozier Muhammad/Newsday RM via Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — Assata Shakur, a Black Liberation Army member who was convicted in the 1973 murder of a New Jersey state trooper, has died in Cuba, where she fled, according to Cuban officials. She was 78.

Her conviction for the murder of Trooper Werner Foerster, and subsequent escape garnered her a permanent spot on the New Jersey State Police’s Most Wanted List. The state long sought to extradite Shakur, who was born Joanne Chesimard, from Cuba, without success.

Cuban officials said she died in Havana of health complications and old age.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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