Biography
John Cluchette was a Black prisoner at Soledad Prison in California and one of the three Soledad Brothers — alongside George Jackson and Fleeta Drumgo — charged in February 1970 with the murder of Soledad guard John Mills. The charge was based on no physical evidence; the case was widely understood as retaliation against politically active Black prisoners. The Soledad Brothers Defense Committee, with Angela Davis as one of its central organizers, made the case an international cause. After George Jackson was killed by guards at San Quentin on August 21, 1971, three days before the trial was set to begin, Cluchette and Drumgo were tried together. On March 27, 1972, the jury acquitted both men of all charges. Cluchette completed an unrelated earlier sentence and was released in the late 1970s.
The Militant of June 2, 1972 reported that the parole board set a conditional November 13 release date on May 9, six weeks after his Soledad Brothers acquittal. The report says his earlier burglary parole had been scheduled for April 1970 and alleges that he lost parole after refusing to testify against Fleeta Drumgo and George Jackson and then being indicted himself. Attorneys alleged that Cluchette and Drumgo were beaten after their acquittal. A transfer from San Quentin's maximum-security adjustment center was prospective. The November date was conditional on good behavior and restrictions on joining groups advocating violent overthrow; it is not proof of actual physical discharge. The Militant, June 2, 1972, PDF pages 18. Source: https://www.themilitant.com/1972/3621/MIL3621.pdf
The June 29, 1971 Free Angela newsletter describes the Soledad Brothers defense allegations of witness intimidation, withheld evidence, shackling, beatings and isolation from visitors and other prisoners. It reports Judge Carpenetti denying more than twenty defense motions during two recent Friday hearings and announcing trial for August 9, while taking July vacation. A proposed bullet-proof courtroom shield and that scheduled trial are prospective, not proof of installation, an actual trial opening or physical release. This adds contemporary defense and confinement context within the existing custody episode. Source: https://www.bibliotechecivichepadova.it/sites/default/files/opera/documenti/sezione-6-serie-10-273.pdf#page=3
The one-page Militant report says Cluchette and Fleeta Drumgo’s trial was postponed indefinitely while California’s Supreme Court reviewed their defense habeas petition, filed by Richard Silver and Floyd Silliman. The petition alleged cruel treatment after August 21,1971, inadequate attorney access and denial of access to an August23 pretrial hearing. These are defense allegations and procedural delay, not acquittal or a new imprisonment. Source: https://www.themilitant.com/1971/3535/MIL3535.pdf#page=24 (PDF1, printed24; issue date absent).
