Leonard Peltier, an 80-year-old activist labeled a “remorseless killer,” has been released after serving nearly five decades in prison for his role in the 1975 ambush killing of two FBI agents on a South Dakota reservation.
His first destination is expected to be a welcome home gathering at a reservation casino, where supporters, including the indigenous rights group NDN Collective, plan to celebrate what they call his “wrongful incarceration.”
“Today I am finally free,” Peltier said in a statement issued by the collective after leaving a federal prison in Sumterville, Florida. “They may have imprisoned me, but they never took my spirit.”
In one of his final acts in office, former President Joe Biden granted clemency to Peltier, despite strong opposition from former FBI Director Christopher Wray and the FBI Agents Association. Following his release, Peltier was seen boarding a chartered jet and was expected to arrive in North Dakota by nightfall.
Native American activist Leonard Peltier, convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to two consecutive life terms, boards a chartered flight home on February 18, 2025, after receiving clemency from former President Biden.
“I hope these letters are unnecessary and that you are not considering a pardon or commutation,” Wray wrote to Biden just 10 days before clemency was granted.
“But on behalf of the FBI family, and out of an abundance of caution, I want to make our position clear: Peltier is a remorseless killer who brutally murdered two of our own—Special Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams. Granting Peltier any relief from his conviction or sentence is wholly unjustified and an affront to the rule of law.”
Peltier had been serving two consecutive life sentences for the killings of FBI agents Coler and Williams. An additional seven-year sentence was added for an armed escape attempt.
FBI Special Agents Ronald Williams (left) and Jack Coler (right) were executed at point-blank range on June 26, 1975, after being injured in a shootout. (FBI)
A last-minute executive order from Biden granted Peltier his release.
His most recent parole bid was denied in July. Former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama had also rejected clemency requests, though Peltier had garnered support from some high-profile Democrats, including Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, as well as former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
Many in law enforcement, particularly former FBI agents, have expressed outrage over the clemency decision.
“[Peltier] executed the two agents while they were wounded and lying on the ground—no mercy, no forgiveness,” said Ed Mireles, the first FBI agent to receive the bureau’s Medal of Valor following a deadly 1986 gun battle. “No mercy or forgiveness for Peltier.”
Peltier was a member of the American Indian Movement (AIM), and his supporters argue that he was denied a fair trial. However, at the time of the FBI agents’ murders at Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, Peltier was more than just an activist—he was a fugitive wanted for the attempted murder of a police officer in Wisconsin.
Since then, Peltier has portrayed himself as a political prisoner, a narrative embraced by some Democrats and activists.
On June 26, 1975, agents Coler and Williams were searching for suspects linked to an armed robbery on the Oglala Sioux Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota.
Leonard Peltier (Photo: AP)
Although Peltier was not one of the robbery suspects, he was in a vehicle that drew the agents’ attention.
Over the radio, Coler and Williams reported that someone was preparing to fire on them. They called for assistance, but backup was far away.
“Peltier is a remorseless killer who brutally murdered two of our own—Special Agents Jack Coler and Ronald Williams. Granting Peltier any relief from his conviction or sentence is wholly unjustified and would be an affront to the rule of law.”
— Christopher Wray, former FBI director
By the time reinforcements arrived, both agents had likely already been killed. Responding officers came under fire as well.
Investigators later found 125 bullet holes in the agents’ vehicle. They determined that Coler and Williams had fired only five rounds in response.
Both agents had been wounded in the initial attack but were then executed at close range with a .223-caliber rifle round to the head. According to the FBI, Peltier was the only individual at the scene carrying a weapon capable of firing that round—an AR-15 rifle.
Following a legal battle, Peltier was extradited from Canada to face charges in the FBI agents’ deaths. Four men were initially arrested in connection with the killings, but only Peltier was convicted, according to the FBI.
James Eagle, the armed robbery suspect the agents were originally pursuing, had all charges against him dropped. Meanwhile, two others, Robert Robideau and Darrelle Butler, were acquitted at trial in 1976.
Peltier has made multiple unsuccessful appeals over the years. The FBI states that he admitted to firing at the agents on several occasions.
He allegedly told Canadian authorities, who arrested him after he fled across the border, that he had shot at the FBI agents because he believed they were there to arrest him for his outstanding warrant. In a 1991 interview with “60 Minutes,” he again admitted to firing at them.
Despite this, Peltier’s supporters argue that his 1977 conviction was based on weak evidence and “prosecutorial misconduct.” However, he failed to overturn it after more than a dozen appeals, including two cases that reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
“For nearly 50 years, no fewer than 22 federal judges, multiple parole boards, and six presidential administrations have evaluated the evidence and considered Peltier’s arguments,” Wray wrote to Biden last summer. “Each has reached the same conclusion: Peltier’s claims are meritless, and his convictions and sentence must stand.”
Biden justified his decision by citing Peltier’s widespread support, despite the legal system’s repeated rulings against him.
“Tribal Nations, Nobel Peace laureates, former law enforcement officials (including the former U.S. Attorney who oversaw Mr. Peltier’s prosecution and appeal), dozens of lawmakers, and human rights organizations strongly support granting Mr. Peltier clemency, citing his advanced age, illnesses, his close ties to and leadership in the Native American community, and the substantial length of time he has already spent in prison,” Biden stated on January 20.
“Leonard Peltier has never expressed remorse for his actions,” said Natalie Bara, president of the FBI Agents Association. “Special Agents Coler and Williams were stolen from their families, denied the chance to share time and milestones with their loved ones. Leonard Peltier should not have been granted a mercy he so cruelly denied to the Coler and Williams families.”
