Eric King Signs Non-Cooperating Plea Deal
Kansas City, MO – March 3, 2016
Vegan anarchist prisoner Eric King has signed a non-cooperating plea agreement related to an attempted molotov cocktail attack on a government official’s office in Kansas City, MO which took place on September 11, 2014.
The prosecution claims Eric was arrested in connection to the attempted firebombing because of his alleged involvement in “anti-government/anarchy graffiti” (no graffiti charges have been filed against King) as well as social media posts he supposedly made which mentioned a group called “KC Fight Back Insurrectionist Collective.”
Under the non-cooperating plea agreement, Eric King pled guilty to one count of “Explosive used in commission of a felony” [18 U.S.C. 844(h)]. Three other felony counts Eric had been facing have now been dismissed under the non-cooperating plea.
A sentencing hearing for this case has not been scheduled yet, but is expected to take place in the next few months. The charge of “Explosive used in commission of a felony” [18 U.S.C. 844(h)] carries both a maximum and minimum sentence of ten years in prison, so a ten year sentence is clearly expected by all parties.
Today’s plea signing took place in a federal courthouse in Kansas City, MO in the courtroom of District Judge Gary A. Fenner, who presides over the Western District of Missouri. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick C. Edwards was present representing the office of U.S. Attorney Tammy Dickinson, the highest ranking Department of Justice law enforcement official in the Western District of Missouri.
King has been incarcerated since his arrest on September 16, 2014 and has spent much of that time in solitary confinement, including extended periods of days or weeks with little or no exposure to light. He is currently being held in solitary confinement for a 60-day period, based on what Eric insists are false allegations fabricated against him by a prison guard.
Eric King’s support committee has posted in the past about how prison officials have retaliated against Eric in politically motivated ways, such as rejecting a book he was sent about the Black Panthers for being connected to a “hate group” while other prisoners are allowed to receive anti-gay literature from Christian extremist hate groups.
Various direct actions have previously occurred in numerous locations in solidarity with Eric King, including banner drops in Kansas City, MO and Omaha, NE:
The Eric King Support Crew posted this update after the plea signing hearing today:
Eric King Accepts Non-Cooperating Plea Agreement for 10 Years
Today in court, Eric King accepted a non-cooperating plea agreement to a federal felony charge that carries a sentence of 10 years in prison. The charge is 18 U.S.C. § 844(h), use of explosive materials to commit arson of property used in or affecting interstate commerce. Eric was arrested in September 2014 and has fought his charges since then, suffering through terrible conditions in the private prison he’s been held captive in since his arrest.
Throughout the last year and a half, he has been assessing his situation and figuring out how to handle his charges without putting other anarchists at greater risk through setting a dangerous precedent. He has continually held the best interests of other anarchists in the forefront of his decisions and has been clear that he would never resolve his case in a way that entailed cooperation with the state or putting others at risk. He stood firm on that line today as he admitted to the charges and accepted that he will spend the next 8.5 years in federal prison.
His non-cooperating plea agreement specifies that he will be sentenced to 10 years in prison (the statute is weirdly worded to say that both the minimum and the maximum sentence is 10 years). He will receive credit for the time he has already served, including the time between today and his sentencing hearing. We expect his sentencing hearing to be sometime this summer, but do not have a certain date yet. We will let you all know that date as soon as we know it.
Eric was confident and in good spirits in court today, despite the terrible situation and the reality of the situation crashing in on him. He smiled at the supporters who had made it through the courthouse security to support him. People came from both Kansas City and other parts of the country to be with him through this part of his ordeal.
You can continue to support him, even from afar, by writing to him and donating to his support fund. He is currently in solitary confinement, so he will be returned to the hole after leaving the courtroom. Receiving your letters, cards, and books will help him feel connected and supported when the state is doing everything possible to make him feel isolated, alone, and abandoned. His book wishlist is at http://www.amazon.com/registry/giftlist/OEWNQ9RMQGZR.
His address is:
Eric King
#27090045
CCA Leavenworth
100 Highway Terrace
Leavenworth, KS 66048
And you can donate to his support fund at http://fnd.us/c/316cDf/sh/a4jVK6. We urgently need to raise funds to help him through the next decade of his life.
Love and solidarity,
EK Support Crew
Unicorn Riot will continue to cover the Eric King case, his upcoming sentencing hearing, and any other developments.
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