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Birth
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter was born on May 6, 1937 in Paterson, New Jersey. He was the fourth of seven children.
Retrieved on September 5, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/rubin-carter-9542248 -
First Criminal Offense
Carter, who grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, was arrested and sent to the Jamesburg State Home for Boys at age 12 after he attacked a man with a Boy Scout knife. He claimed the man was a pedophile who had been attempting to molest one of his friends.
Retrieved on September 6, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/rubin-carter-9542248 -
Assault and Robbery
On June 25, 1951, Rubin Carter, at age 14, was charged with assault and robbery resulting from the stealing of $55 and a wristwatch from a man who was struck over the head with a bottle. The victim's injury required four sutures.The defendant was sentenced to the State Home for Boys on July 3, 1951 as a result of this complaint and paroled on December 13, 1952.
Retrieved on September 7, 2012 from http://www.graphicwitness.com/carter/threat.html#juvenile -
The Great Escape
After Rubin Carter attacked a man with a boy scout knife at the age of twelve and was sent to Jamesburg State Home for Boys. he escaped before his six year term was up and ran to join the army.
Retrieved on September 7, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/rubin-carter-9542248 -
Joining the Army
Carter escaped before his six-year term was up and in he joined the Army, where he served in a segregated corps and began training as a boxer. He won two European light-welterweight championships and in 1956 returned to Paterson with the intention of becoming a professional boxer. Almost immediately upon his return, police arrested Carter and forced him to serve the remaining 10 months of his sentence in a state reformatory.
Retrieved on September 6, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/rub -
Start of Boxing Career
In September 1961, Carter turned professional. His aggressive style and punching power drew attention, establishing him as a crowd favorite and earning him the nickname "Hurricane." After he had beaten a number of middleweight contenders, the world took notice; "The Ring" first listed him as one of its "Top 10" middleweight contenders. Retrieved on September 5, 2012 from http://www.njboxinghof.org/cgi-bin/henryseehof.pl?57 -
Scene of The Crime
On June 17, 1966, at approximately 2:30 a.m., two African-American males entered the Lafayette Bar and Grill in Paterson, New Jersey, and started shooting. The bartender, James Oliver, and a male customer, Fred Nauyoks, were killed instantly. A severely wounded female customer, Hazel Tanis, died almost a month later. neither identified Carter or John Artis, both of whom were subsequently arrested, charged, tried, and convicted.
Retrieved on September 6, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/pe -
Arrest For Triple Homicide
Carter was training for his next shot at the world middleweight title in October 1966 when he was arrested for the June 17th triple murder of three patrons at the Lafayette Bar & Grill in Paterson. Carter and John Artis had been arrested on the night of the crime because they fit an eyewitness description of the killers ("two Negroes in a white car"),
Retrived on September 6, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/rubin-carter-9542248 -
New Jersey Supreme Court
On June 29, 1967, the New Jersey Supreme court heard the case State of New Jersey v. Carter. This state court has jurisdiction on a wide range of cases and their verdict was that Carter and Artis would recieve life life imprisonment.
Retrieved on September 6, 2012 from http://www.graphicwitness.com/carter/pdfs/74_12_10_Larner-decision.pdf -
Autobiography
From prison, Carter read and studied extensively, and in 1974 published his autobiography, The 16th Round: From Number 1 Contender to Number 45472.
Retrieved on September 7, 2012 from http://www.democracynow.org/2000/1/5/rubin_hurricane_carter -
Testimony Repealed
In late 1974, Bello and Bradley repealed their testimony, admitting that they had lied in order to receive sympathetic treatment from the police.
Retrieved on September 7, 2012 from http://www.democracynow.org/2000/1/5/rubin_hurricane_carter -
Beneficial Friends
Starting in 1980, Carter developed a friendship with a teenager from a Brooklyn ghetto named Lesra Martin, who had read his autobiography and sent a letter to him. The teenager was living with a group of Canadians. soon Martin's benefactors, most notably Sam Chaiton, Terry Swinton, and Lisa Peters, developed a relationship with Carter and started to work for his release.
Retieved on September 7, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/rubin-carter-9542248 -
United States District Court
In 1985, the United States District Court for the district of New Jersey , with original jurisdiction, heard the case State v. Carter. Their verdict was that they reaffrimed the convictions of Carter with a close 4-3 vote.
Retrieved on September 7, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/rubin-carter-9542248 -
United States Supreme Court
On March 18, 1985 Carter's attorneys filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in US federal court, with original jurisdiction, to hear State v. Carter. The writ was granted and the verdict was that the the prosecution had been "predicated upon an appeal to racism rather than reason, and concealment rather than disclosure," and set aside the convictions.
Retrieved on September 6, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/rubin-carter-9542248 -
Released From Prison
Though he's still dogged by those who claim he's guilty, Carter was released from prison in 1985 by a federal judge who wrote, "A conviction which rests upon racial stereotypes, fears and prejudices violates rights too fundamental to permit deference to stand in the way of the relief sought." He spent 19 years in prison.
Retrieved on September 7, 2012 from http://www.humanmedia.org/catalog/program.php?products_id=328 -
Publishing of Carter's Book
Upon his release from prison, Carter moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, into the home of the group that had worked to free him. He worked with Chaiton and Swinton on a book, Lazarus and the Hurricane: The Untold Story of the Freeing of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter; it was published two years later.
Retrieved on September 7, 2012 from http://www.graphicwitness.com/carter/lipton/liptonstory.html -
Movie: The Hurricane
Carter's story inspired the Norman Jewison 1999 feature film, The Hurricane, starring Denzel Washington in the lead role about Rubin Carter's accusation, trials, and time spent in prison. Carter later discussed at a lecture how he fell in love with Washington's portrayal of him during auditions for The Hurricane.
Retrieved on September 7, 2012 from http://www.graphicwitness.com/carter/moviepoints.html
