Filed under: Announcement, Political Prisoners, US
Free Eric King! pic.twitter.com/nFhABI3xaP
— Kansas City ABC (@ABCKC) March 3, 2016
From Support Eric King
Today in court, Eric King accepted a non-cooperating plea agreement to a federal felony charge that carries a sentence of 10 years in prison. The charge is 18 U.S.C. § 844(h), use of explosive materials to commit arson of property used in or affecting interstate commerce. Eric was arrested in September 2014 and has fought his charges since then, suffering through terrible conditions in the private prison he’s been held captive in since his arrest.
Throughout the last year and a half, he has been assessing his situation and figuring out how to handle his charges without putting other anarchists at greater risk through setting a dangerous precedent. He has continually held the best interests of other anarchists in the forefront of his decisions and has been clear that he would never resolve his case in a way that entailed cooperation with the state or putting others at risk. He stood firm on that line today as he admitted to the charges and accepted that he will spend the next 8.5 years in federal prison.
His non-cooperating plea agreement specifies that he will be sentenced to 10 years in prison (the statute is weirdly worded to say that both the minimum and the maximum sentence is 10 years). He will receive credit for the time he has already served, including the time between today and his sentencing hearing. We expect his sentencing hearing to be sometime this summer, but do not have a certain date yet. We will let you all know that date as soon as we know it.
Eric King Signs Non-Cooperating Plea Deal https://t.co/sCc9RyLgUh pic.twitter.com/lkdqI4OpvU
— Unicorn Riot (@UR_Ninja) March 4, 2016
Eric was confident and in good spirits in court today, despite the terrible situation and the reality of the situation crashing in on him. He smiled at the supporters who had made it through the courthouse security to support him. People came from both Kansas City and other parts of the country to be with him through this part of his ordeal.
You can continue to support him, even from afar, by writing to him and donating to his support fund. He is currently in solitary confinement, so he will be returned to the hole after leaving the courtroom. Receiving your letters, cards, and books will help him feel connected and supported when the state is doing everything possible to make him feel isolated, alone, and abandoned. His book wishlist is at http://www.amazon.com/registry/giftlist/OEWNQ9RMQGZR.
His address is:
Eric King
#27090045
CCA Leavenworth
100 Highway Terrace
Leavenworth, KS 66048
And you can donate to his support fund at http://fnd.us/c/316cDf/sh/a4jVK6. We urgently need to raise funds to help him through the next decade of his life.
Love and solidarity,
EK Support Crew
Tags: Eric King