The Who Killed Malcolm X? examines the 1965 assassination of civil rights activist Malcolm X, and identifies the alleged real killer by name: William X Bradley a.k.a. Almustafa N. Shabazz. Building upon an existing theory, historian Abdur-Rahman Muhammad looks deeper into the mystery, and connects the overwhelming evidence by investigating FBI documents.
Malcolm X was murdered on February 21, 1965 at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan, New York. The killing was presumably motivated by his controversial split with the Nation of Islam, as three were ultimately convicted for the murder in 1966: Talmadge X Hayer, Norman 3X Butler, and Thomas 15X Johnson. However, there have always been rumors about a convenient cover-up.
Who Killed Malcolm X? not only spotlights major holes in the official story, but also links the evidence to a specific place and person. And though Muhammad steadily acknowledges the danger of pursuing new leads, he seems intent on sparking a new official investigation. Here are the biggest reveals, beyond the most well-known facts, in Who Killed Malcolm X? on Netflix.
Two Alleged Killers Weren't At The Audubon Ballroom
Muhammad appears on camera for the majority of Who Killed Malcolm X?, and is described as the "most knowledgeable Malcolm X scholar" by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Garrow (Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference). Early on, Muhammad explains the historical context for Malcolm X's assassination, and states that when he personally converted to Islam, he began meeting people that were "one or two people removed" from Malcolm X himself. This is the foundation for the Netflix docies as a whole: to challenge the official story by speaking with people who know the real story.
For example, Malcolm X had little police protection, if any, on the day he was murdered. The family home was bombed just one week prior, and Malcolm X was essentially on his own after severing ties from Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. Who Killed Malcolm X? presses hard on the fact that police were initially looking for five suspects, including a "burly" individual who fired the fatal shots with a sawed-off shotgun. Talmadge Hayer was immediately arrested for Malcolm X's murder, just after he was beaten on the street by an angry crowd. The rest of the killers fled through a stairwell.
Hayer itted his involvement in Malcolm X's murder, but always maintained that four other people were involved. Crucially, he stated that Butler and Johnson were innocent, and later provided two affidavits during the late '70s that listed his actual accomplices. Who Killed Malcolm X? reveals that Butler and Johnson actually had confirmed alibis on the day of Malcolm X's murder, and weren't even present at the Audubon Ballroom. In fact, Butler - now known as Muhammad Abdul Aziz - speaks on camera throughout the Netflix docies, and reinforces the idea that facts were blatantly ignored during the investigation. For Muhammad (the documentarian), the question remains: who is the "burly" individual described by witnesses? He connects the evidence to one of the men named by Hayer - someone known only as "Willie."
Muhammad Believes That William X. Bradley Killed Malcolm X
The mysterious "Willie" is revealed to be a former high school baseball star who lived across the street from Mosque No. 25 in Newark, New Jersey. But Newark locals don't seem interested in discussing the specifics of Malcolm X's alleged killer with Muhammad. As one man puts it, “If you see some dry dung in the roadway, don’t kick it.” A break comes when a New Jersey tells Muhammad that "Willie" is actually William X. Bradley, and that he changed his name to Almustafa N. Shabazz.
Who Killed Malcolm X? focuses heavily on Shabazz's reputation and legacy within Newark. Muhammad learns that his suspect's involvement is essentially an "open secret" in the area, and always has been. Interviewees consistently tell Muhammad to stop pursuing new leads, while Newark Mayor Rai Baraka acknowledges that Shabazz is indeed the "shotgun dude." There seems to be a code of silence - one that inspires Muhammad to dig deeper.
Unfortunately, Muhammad never manages to confront Bradley/Shabazz, as the suspect ed away in October 2018. Who Killed Malcolm X? shows that Muhammad actually attended the funeral, along with Sheila Oliver - the Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey. According to Oliver, she knows about rumors associated with Bradley/Shabazz, but also acknowledges his community work within Newark. Throughout the rest of Who Killed Malcolm X?, Shabazz's former associates become more aggressive during their interviews with Muhammad, even though they acknowledge the "open secret."
Bradley Appears In A Brawl Video After Malcolm X's Murder
Muhammad places Shabazz (Bradley) at the scene of Malcolm X's murder. Specifically, he identifies the suspect in a news clip of the Hayer attack outside the Audubon Ballroom. This is crucial because, according to Hayer's affidavits, the assassination plot was based on diversion. During Malcolm X's speech, one of the accomplices made a scene in the back of the room, thus shifting the crowd's attention. The "burly" individual, presumably Bradley, approached Malcolm X and fired the fatal shotgun blasts while other accomplices used smaller weapons.
Outside the Audubon Ballroom, Hayer was captured by a crowd while his accomplices successfully escaped. In the attack footage, Muhammad spots Bradley (Shabazz) on the edge of the frame (seen above on the far right). Moments later, he walks directly in front of the camera. To Muhammad, all of the evidence points to Bradley (Shabazz) being the real killer, based primarily on Hayer's affidavit revelations and newly-revealed informant information that appears in official FBI documents (more on that below).
Bradley Appears In A 2010 Cory Booker Campaign Video
Forty-five years after allegedly killing Malcolm X, Bradley (Shabazz) appears in a promotional video for U.S. Senator Cory Booker, who was then the Mayor of Newark. In Who Killed Malcolm X?, Booker claims that he's not aware of the Malcolm X assassination rumors, but does acknowledge that "I know him [Shabazz] well." Given the collective interviews from Newark residents in the Netflix docies, it seems unlikely that Booker would not have known about the alleged connection between Bradley (Shabazz) and Malcolm X's assassination.
FBI Files Are The Smoking Gun
Whereas the official Malcolm X assassination narrative is somewhat clean and tidy (quick arrests and convictions), FBI documents tell another story. In Who Killed Malcolm X?, Muhammad learns that an FBI informant provided information about the assassination at Malcolm X's funeral - the killer was a lieutenant from Mosque No. 25 in Newark. On top of that, Bradley's official FBI file shows that the FBI knew he was a lieutenant from Mosque No. 25 in Newark. The intel was provided on April 30, 1965 - just two months after Malcolm X's assassination. Muhammad also finds an FBI file that says "such information should not be furnished to the NYD without first receiving Bureau authority." Another file reveals that the intel was labeled as "RUC" (Referred Upon Completion), which means that the information wasn't made available for the trial.
The final year of Malcolm X's life was especially complicated, and the events surrounding his death are even more complex. Malcolm X's personal bodyguard, Eugene Roberts, turned out to be a government informant, and was even criticized upon attempting mouth-to-mouth resuscitation after the assassination, as evidenced by interviews shown in Who Killed Malcolm X? According to Newark locals in the Netflix docies, the past should remain in the past.
Ultimately, Who Killed Malcolm X? on Netflix posits that two innocent men went to jail for Malcolm X's murder, and that an obvious suspect was never questioned - despite overwhelming evidence that he was indeed the real killer.
