After previous reports that a letter penned by former NYPD officer Raymond Wood on his deathbed included a confession to being involved in a ploy from the police department and the FBI to assassinate Malcolm X, the daughter of the officer is claiming the letter is a hoax. Kelly Wood came forward to debunk the authenticity of the letter in an interview with NY1 on Friday (February 26).
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The children of the late civil rights leader teamed up with the cousin of the officer, coming forward last week at the scene of the murder in Harlem to make the letter public. In the letter, Wood alleges that he was tasked with luring members of Malcolm X’s security into committing crimes so he could arrest them, making him an easy target for the gunmen. Wood’s daughter is saying the letter was forged by her father’s cousin to gain publicity for himself.
“I know that my father did not write this letter,” Wood told the news station. “I know that is not his signature and I know the envelope they’re using to somehow justify that the letter was mailed is also a fake.” She also disputed the claim that he only publicized the letter after his death to avoid facing consequences.
“My father is not a coward. He would have never, ever asked anyone to speak on his behalf after his passing. If he had something to say, he would have said it when he was alive,” she told NY1. She added the signature on the letter did not belong to her father.
Three members of the Nation of Islam were arrested for the assassination, but many have long doubted they were actually behind the murder. Manhattan DA Cy Vance said last year that his office would reopen the case to investigate if they were wrongly prosecuted and in wake of the letter noted its “review of this matter is active and ongoing.”
The NYPD told the Post they were cooperating completely with the investigation. We’ll keep you updated on further developments.
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