Biography
Bay Area Black man on death row at Cummins prison in Arkansas for a first-degree murder he said he did not commit, calling himself a victim of a local political struggle. Convicted by a jury of 11 whites and one Black; won a stay of execution. The Black Panther Vol. 19 no.9 (1979).
Sumlin’s published account says he was arrested in Magnolia, Arkansas, in August 1977 and held at California’s request. He describes three months of hearings before escaping the Magnolia jail on November 24, 1977, with help from his wife. The murder later charged to them occurred while he was still jailed, according to the account. This earlier detention ended in an escape, rather than an ordinary release, and preceded the separate murder imprisonment.
The Black Panther, July23–August5,1979,vol19no9, PDF page 1; The Black Panther, July23–August5,1979,vol19no9, PDF page 6.