{{Short description|American activist and prisoner (1950–2023)}} {{Use American English|date=February 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}} {{Infobox criminal | name = Mutulu Shakur | image = | caption = | birth_name = Jeral Wayne Williams | birth_date = {{Birth date|1950|8|8}} | birth_place = [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]], U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|2023|7|7|1950|8|8|mf=yes}} | death_place = [[Mercer Island, Washington]], U.S. | occupation = [[Acupuncturist]] | spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|[[Afeni Shakur]]|1975|1982|end=div}}|{{marriage|Makini Hearn|1982|2010|end=div}}}} | children = 6, including [[Mopreme]] and [[Tupac]] (stepson) | module = {{Infobox FBI Ten Most Wanted | child=yes | added_date = July 23, 1982 | caught_date = February 12, 1986 | remove_date = | number = 380 | status = Caught}} | conviction = [[Murder|Killing during the commission of a bank robbery (18 U.S.C. §&nbsp;2113)]] (2 counts)<br>[[Bank robbery|Armed bank robbery (18 U.S.C. §&nbsp;2113)]] (2 counts)<br>[[Bank robbery]] (18 U.S.C. §&nbsp;2113) (2 counts)<br>[[Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act|Racketeering (18 U.S.C. §&nbsp;1962)]]<br>[[Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act|Conspiracy to commit racketeering (18 U.S.C. §&nbsp;1962)]] | criminal_penalty = 60 years' imprisonment | conviction_status = Deceased }}

'''Mutulu Shakur''' (born '''Jeral Wayne Williams'''; August 8, 1950 – July 7, 2023) was an American activist, and a member of the [[Black Liberation Army]] who was sentenced to sixty years in prison for his involvement in a [[1981 Brink's robbery|1981 robbery]] of a Brinks armored truck in which a guard and two police officers were murdered.

Shakur was politically active as a teen with the [[Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM)]] and later the [[black separatist]] movement the [[Republic of New Afrika]]. He was the stepfather of [[rapping|rapper]] [[Tupac Shakur]].

Shakur was paroled on ill-health compassionate grounds in December 2022, after serving nearly 37 years of imprisonment, and died about eight months later.<ref name="hiphopdx_com">{{cite web |last1=Ellington |first1=Andre |title=2Pac's Stepfather Mutulu Shakur Reportedly Passes Away |url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/2pac-stepfather-mutulu-shakur-dead |website=HipHopDX |date=July 7, 2023 |access-date=July 8, 2023}}</ref>

==Early life and activism== Shakur was born in [[Baltimore, Maryland]], on August 8, 1950, as Jeral Wayne Williams. At age seven, he moved to [[Jamaica, Queens|Jamaica]], [[Queens]], [[New York City]], with his mother, who was blind,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bio – |url=https://mutulushakur.com/about/ |access-date=December 22, 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref> and younger sister.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.biography.com/people/mutulu-shakur-507004 |title=Mutulu Shakur |website=Biography |language=en-us |access-date=March 5, 2018}}</ref>

By his late teens, Shakur was politically active with the Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM) and later joined the Republic of New Afrika.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Char |title=Mutulu Shakur, Black liberation activist and stepfather of Tupac, dies at 72 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/mutulu-shakur-black-liberation-activist-stepfather-tupac-dies-72-rcna93480 |access-date=July 11, 2023 |work=NBC |date=July 10, 2023}}</ref>

In 1970, Shakur began working with the [[Lincoln Detox]] program, which offered [[drug rehabilitation]] for [[heroin]] [[addiction]] using [[acupuncture]] — instead of the [[FDA approval|FDA-approved]] drug [[methadone]].<ref name="AN">[http://amsterdamnews.com/news/2020/jan/09/brooklyn-benefit-dr-mutulu-shakur/#:~:text=This%20past%20October%2C%20Shakur%20was,examining%20him%20until%20last%20April. Brooklyn benefit for Dr. Mutulu Shakur]. ''[[Amsterdam News]]'', September 1, 2020.</ref> Eventually, he became the program's assistant director and remained associated with the program until 1978. He became certified and licensed to practice acupuncture in the state of [[California]] in 1979.<ref>[https://search.dca.ca.gov/details/6500/AC/1046/2f5079e6fabbc402b409ac9033227858 Acupunture Board. Licensing Details for: SHAKUR, Mutulu]</ref> He went on to help found and direct the Black Acupuncture Advisory Association of North America (BAAANA) and the Harlem Institute of Acupuncture.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bloom |first1=Madison |title=Mutulu Shakur, Activist, Acupuncturist, and Stepfather to 2Pac, Dies at 72 |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/mutulu-shakur-activist-acupuncturist-and-stepfather-to-2pac-dies-at-72/ |access-date=July 11, 2023 |work=Pitchfork |date=July 10, 2023}}</ref>

==Brink's robbery, arrest, and incarceration== Shakur was one of several [[Black Liberation Army]] members to carry out the October 1981 robbery of an [[armored car (valuables)|armored car]] in [[Nanuet, New York]]. Aided by the [[May 19 Communist Organization]] and former members of the [[Weather Underground]], the BLA crew stole $1.6 million in cash from a [[Brink's]] vehicle at the [[Nanuet Mall]]. The robbers killed Brink's guard Peter Paige and seriously wounded another, Joseph Trombino. Soon after, they killed [[Nyack, New York]] police officers [[Edward O'Grady II|Edward O'Grady]] and [[Waverly Brown]], who had stopped a getaway vehicle.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Batson |first1=Bill |title=Nyack Sketch Log: The Brink's Robbery |url=http://www.nyacknewsandviews.com/2011/10/bb_brinksrobbery20111018/ |website=NyackNewsandViews|date=October 19, 2021 }}</ref>

Shakur, the alleged ringleader of the group, evaded capture for more than five years and thus was the last one to go on trial on charges related to the robbery. In 1982, Shakur, [[Marilyn Buck]], and others involved in the BLA and M19CO were indicted on [[Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act]] (RICO) charges, encompassing the Brink's robbery and other similar robberies, as well as engineering the 1979 escape from a New Jersey prison of [[Assata Shakur]]. While at large, on July 23, 1982, he became the 380th person added to the [[FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 1980s|FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives]] list.

He was arrested on February 12, 1986, in California by the [[FBI]]. An order for Shakur's release on pretrial bail was overturned by the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=United States of America, Appellant, v. Mutulu Shakur, Appellee, 817 F.2d 189 (2d Cir. 1987) |url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/817/189/467610/ |access-date=May 3, 2022 |website=Justia Law |language=en}}</ref> Shakur and Buck were tried in 1987 and convicted on May 11, 1988.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DEED61E3AF931A25756C0A96E948260 |title=2 Ex-fugitives Convicted of Roles in Fatal Armored-Truck Robbery |author=Lubasch, Arnold H. |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |date=May 12, 1988 |access-date=October 10, 2008}}</ref> He received a 60-year sentence. The convictions and sentence were upheld on appeal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=United States of America v. Shakur, 888 F.2d 234 (2d Cir. 1989) (per curiam) |url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/888/234/204102/ |access-date=July 8, 2023 |website=Justia Law |language=en}}</ref>

Although federal parole was abolished in the [[Sentencing Reform Act|Sentencing Reform Act of 1984]], Shakur's convictions were exempt because the Act's provisions did not apply to crimes committed before November 1987. Under the rules in effect at the time of his offenses, Shakur was due for a [[mandate (criminal law)|mandatory]] [[parole]] determination after serving thirty of his original sixty-year sentence, which came in 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/28/2.53 |title=28 CFR 2.53 – Mandatory parole. |website=LII / Legal Information Institute |access-date=December 28, 2016}}</ref>

However, the [[United States Parole Commission]] denied his release in 2016, 2018, and early 2022.<ref>[https://www.lohud.com/story/news/crime/2018/05/29/brinks-organizer-mutulu-shakur-denied-federal-parole-after-30-years/640088002/ Brinks mastermind Mutulu Shakur denied federal parole after 30 years in prison]. By Steve Lieberman. ''lohud.com'', May 29, 2018.</ref> In October 2019, Shakur renewed his quest for a reduction of sentence by applying to the sentencing court for [[compassionate release]] under the [[First Step Act]], but relief was once again denied.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210825034647/https://casetext.com/case/united-states-v-shakur-1997?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=pmd_1913488803aa4b79ba6f584e75f14daac7f9e2f5-1629859245-0-gqNtZGzNAjijcnBszQdi United States v. Shakur.] ''casetext.com'', November 2, 2020.</ref>

On November 10, 2022, the Parole Commission reconsidered his case and granted Shakur release on parole effective December 16, 2022, in light of his declining health.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Riley |first1=Jason |title=Mutulu Shakur, Tupac's stepfather, granted release from Kentucky prison as he dies of cancer |url=https://www.wdrb.com/in-depth/mutulu-shakur-tupacs-stepfather-granted-release-from-kentucky-prison-as-he-dies-of-cancer/article_a5f40602-61cb-11ed-b356-2baa6447a985.html |access-date=November 12, 2022 |publisher=WDRB.com |date=November 11, 2022}}</ref> Shakur was freed on that date from [[Federal Medical Center, Lexington]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lieberman |first1=Steve |title=Brinks murder mastermind Mutulu Shakur, Tupac's stepfather, released from federal prison |url=https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/rockland/2022/12/16/mutulu-shakur-tupac-stepfather-brinks-robbery-released-prison/69735811007/ |access-date=December 17, 2022 |work=Rockland/Westchester Journal News |date=December 16, 2022}}</ref> and died about eight months later.<ref name="hiphopdx_com" />

==Personal life== In 1975, he married [[Afeni Shakur]], the mother of [[Tupac Shakur|Tupac]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Everything You Need To Know About Tupac's Family Tree |url=https://www.capitalxtra.com/features/lists/tupac-family-tree-facts/ |access-date=October 22, 2020 |work=[[Capital XTRA]] |language=en}}</ref> They had a daughter, Sekyiwa.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Balogun |first1=Oyin |title=Meet Tupac's Half-Sister Sekyiwa Shakur Who Is Now 44 Years Old |url=https://news.amomama.com/183898-meet-sekyiwa-shakur-tupacs-half-sister-f.html |access-date=October 21, 2020 |work=AmoMama |date=December 4, 2019 |language=en}}</ref> They divorced in 1982.

In his later years Shakur developed several health issues including metastatic bone marrow cancer. He applied for release on compassionate grounds in 2020, but was denied by the then-90 year old judge [[Charles S. Haight Jr.]] who had originally sentenced him thirty years earlier.<ref>[https://theintercept.com/2022/06/22/mutulu-shakur-dying-prison-cancer/ Will a Judge Force Cancer-Stricken Black Elder Mutulu Shakur to Die Behind Bars?] - The Intercept, 22 June 2022</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://theintercept.com/2022/06/22/mutulu-shakur-dying-prison-cancer/|title=Will a Judge Force Cancer-Stricken Black Elder Mutulu Shakur to Die Behind Bars?|last=Lennard|first=Natasha|date=June 22, 2022|work=The Intercept|accessdate=June 22, 2022}}</ref> He was granted release on parole on compassionate grounds in December 2022. He died from the disease on July 7, 2023, at age 72, about eight months after being paroled.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mutulu Shakur, Black Liberation Movement Elder And Stepfather To Tupac, Dies At 72 |url=https://newsone.com/4635039/mutulu-shakur-dies/ |access-date=July 7, 2023 |work=NewsOne |language=en}}</ref>

== In popular culture == Rapper [[Rick Ross]] raps and mentions Mutulu few times on his track titled ''"Santorini Greece",'' rapping, "Mutulu wife reside in Cuba, nigga." And further again, "Mutulu Shakur, I know your dreads touching the floor, nigga".<ref>{{Citation |title=Rick Ross – Santorini Greece |url=https://genius.com/Rick-ross-santorini-greece-lyrics |access-date=2025-05-23}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=Rick Ross: Santorini Greece|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11497104/ |website=IMDB|access-date=2025-05-23}}</ref>

Rapper [[Nas]] mentions Mutulu on his record ''"Pistols On Your Album Cover"'' rapping, "I'm just happy Mutulu Shakur got free, may he rest in peace, he was a warrior all of his days."<ref>{{Citation |title=Pistols On Your Album Cover |url=https://genius.com/29093062 |website=Genius|access-date=2026-03-10}}</ref>

In 2017, [[Jamie Hector]] portrayed Mutulu Shakur in [[2Pac]]'s biopic, ''[[All Eyez on Me (film)|All Eyez on Me]].''

In 2001, there was episode based on the [[1981 Brink's robbery]] and the manhunt for Shakur, in the docudrama series ''[[The FBI Files]]'', in season 3, episode 14 "Under Fire."

==See also== * [[Assata Shakur]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua-m7AANkQ4 ''Dope Is Death''] (79'), by [[Mia Donovan]], a film about the legacy of a 1970s coalition of New York community activists and revolutionaries, including the now-imprisoned Mutulu Shakur, and how they created North America's first acupuncture detox clinic. * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070331212952/http://www.daretostruggle.org/ "Dare to Struggle" music compilation's website] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070101114310/http://www.vibe.com/news/news_headlines/2006/05/tupacs_father_to_release_cd_honoring_son/ "Tupac's Father to Release CD Honoring Son"]—VIBE news article * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrPPgbJ4QQY&t=4s/ Jericho Movement's "Children of Political Prisoners Speak Out," Recorded June 13, 2020 and posted on YouTube on August 24, 2020.]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shakur, Mutulu}} [[Category:African-American activists]] [[Category:American Black separatist activists]] [[Category:Members of the Black Liberation Army]] [[Category:Activists from the Bronx]] [[Category:Acupuncturists]] [[Category:FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives]] [[Category:American bank robbers]] [[Category:American people convicted of robbery]] [[Category:American people convicted of murdering police officers]] [[Category:People convicted of murder under the RICO Act]] [[Category:Inmates of ADX Florence]] [[Category:Shakur family|Mutulu]] [[Category:20th-century African-American people]] [[Category:1950 births]] [[Category:2023 deaths]]