Biography
Marshall "Eddie" Conway was a leader of the Baltimore chapter of the Black Panther Party who spent roughly 44 years in prison — among the longest-held political prisoners in the United States — for a 1970 killing he always insisted was a frame-up. Conway was convicted in 1971 of the ambush murder of Baltimore Police Officer Donald Sager. He maintained that he had been targeted for his Panther organizing under the FBI's COINTELPRO program; there was no physical evidence linking him to the shooting, and the case leaned heavily on a jailhouse informant. He was released on parole in March 2014 after a Maryland appellate court ruled that his jury had been given improper instructions. In prison Conway earned three college degrees and founded a prisoners' literacy program; after his release he became a producer at The Real News Network and hosted the show "Rattling the Bars." He died in February 2023.
Minister of Defense of the Baltimore chapter of the Black Panther Party in 1970 who also worked at the U.S. Postal Service. Some Baltimore chapter founders were undercover Baltimore Police officers reporting daily on his activities, while the FBI maintained simultaneous surveillance. After an April 23, 1970 police shooting Conway was identified by Officer Nolan from a photograph and arrested at the Post Office the next day, charged with the homicide and attempted homicide of officers.
Marhsall Eddie Conway was a former Black Panther Party leader framed for the murder of a Baltimore police officer and the shooting of two other officers. He is currently serving a life a sentence, continues to assert his innocence and his fighting for parole. “Eddie” Conway was born and raised in Baltimore. As a young man he joined the Army. In 1966, while stationed in Germany he saw a play on Malcolm X, which lead to him reading his autobiography. Disilusioned with the Army, Conway returned to Baltimore in 1967 with an Honorable Discharge. He joined the Congress of Racial
Equality (CORE). He was instrumental in integrating the Sparrows Point Fire Department, where he was one of the first black firefighters amidst a department notorious for its racism. Working in such a hostile workplace and his experience with organizing lead Eddie to step up his work for black liberation by joining the Baltimore 1969.
Duration consistency review October 13, 2026: The stored exact day count has been cleared because this case does not have verified day-precision confinement endpoints or an independently documented exact number of days served. Existing approximate durations and sentencing descriptions are retained. No missing date has been guessed.
Contemporary prison-support account and limits
The United Prisoners Union’s political-prisoner support roster individually lists Marshall Conway in Baltimore, Maryland. The exact name and place match this profile’s established Baltimore Panther case. The list is a contemporary custody/support snapshot, not an initial admission or physical discharge, and gives no additional personal vital dates or served total. No case endpoint or counter is changed.
The Anvil, United Prisoners Union, volume 1 number 1, April cover; original pages 8.
The August 6, 1982 Militant reported that Eddie Conway organized a prisoners union, a newspaper and Malcolm X Day programs in the Maryland penitentiary. It also credited him with organizing the first prison chapter of the National Black Independent Political Party that year. A July 16 Baltimore reception featuring Ben Chavis launched a campaign for his release. This supplies contemporary prison organizing context without changing custody dates or adopting the newspaper’s disputed characterization of the prosecution.
On June 25, 1973, the Supreme Court denied Marshall Edward Conway’s petition in No. 72-5480 from Maryland’s Court of Special Appeals. The official entry adds appellate chronology to the Baltimore prosecution; it does not establish a new admission, physical release or actual-service total.
Charles Rock Dutton’s April 1971 account from the Baltimore City Jail describes the February 17 dispute over Conway’s delayed family visit, an alleged guard assault and the ensuing protest and tear-gassing. It reports an additional assault-with-intent-to-murder accusation following the confrontation. These are attributed allegations about events during existing custody; they do not establish a new admission or physical release.
