George Wright is an American Citizen who acquired Portuguese citizenship. He graduated from High School in Halifax, Virginia .... and turned immediately to a life of crime. When he was 19, he and some friends robbed the Sands Motel in Englishtown Virginia of $200. They then made their way to the Collingswood Esso gasoline station on eastbound Route 33 in Wall, One of the accomplices fatally wounded Walter Patterson, a 42-year-old World War II veteran and Bronze Star recipient, who was a father of two teenage daughters. Patterson died from the gunshot wound two days later.
The criminal gang were convicted for the crimes and murder in 1962, and Wright was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison. He would have been freed in 1992 at the latest, but probably considerably earlier given that he wasn't the gunman ....
The criminal gang were convicted for the crimes and murder in 1962, and Wright was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison. He would have been freed in 1992 at the latest, but probably considerably earlier given that he wasn't the gunman ....
.... but in 1970 he escaped from a prison farm and went on the run to Detroit, then a hotbed of radicalism, where he and a fellow escapee became affiliated with the Black Liberation Army. On the 31st July1972, Wright, then 29, and four accomplices (plus two of their children) hijacked a Delta Airlines flight.
Wright, who was later described as the leader of the gang, was allegedly dressed as a priest, and using the alias the Rev. Larry Darnell Burgess, he had smuggled a handgun aboard the flight in a hollowed-out bible, which he held to a stewardesses head. They demanded that FBI agents (dressed only in bathing suits), deliver $1 million ransom to the plane; the FBI complied. The hijackers allowed the 86 hostage passengers to leave the plane in Miami, but kept the flight crew and ordered that the plane be flown to Algiers, the capital of Algeria, where they sought political asylum as that government had previously supported those 'struggling for liberation'.
The Captain of the plane said afterwards “They said they were revolutionaries, that America is a decadent society and they didn't want to live here anymore.” Upon arrival in Algeria, one of the gang told the pilot: "We're famous," he said, "Send us a copy of your paper."
They were granted asylum, but at the request of the U.S. government, the Algerian government confiscated and returned the $1 million in ransom money to the U.S. After the hijackers' calls to have the ransom money restored to them were ignored by the Algerian government, Wright and his associates disappeared. Apparently sometime in early 1973, the group travelled by ship to France and lived and worked there with new identities.
His accomplices were captured by the French in 1976, but they successfully resisted extradition to the US, but the French convicted them to five year sentences for the hijacking. Meanwhile Wright remained on the run (as he was also wanted for the prison break, and murder as well as the hijacking), and went to Guinea-Bissau (a former Portuguese colony), and finally on to Portugal. While living in Guinea-Bissau in the 1980's, Wright allegedly used his real name and worked as logistics manager of the Belgium-based non-profit Iles de Paix .... he married a Portuguese woman and took the name Jose Luis Jorge dos Santos. This new identity was given to him by Guinea-Bissau, but was recognised by Portugal when Wright was granted political asylum there in the 1980s.
On September the 26th, 2011, he was arrested in Portugal. The FBI requested Wright's extradition from Portugal to the United States, but was denied on the grounds that Wright is a Portuguese citizen. "The Lisbon appeals court ruled that he had Portuguese citizenship and will not be extradited." Wright, praised the court's ruling .... "I am very pleased and I want to thank the Portuguese courts for having made the right decision", he said, adding that he had a "clear conscience".
He might have a "clear conscience", and the Portuguese judges may feel all warm and snuggly, but this decision must leave the family of Walter Patterson pretty cold. As usual in these legal games, the victims and their families are just ignored.
Walter Patterson, unlike Wright, had done something for his country, been brave in battle, and was a hard working family man whose life was ended violently, after being shot while resisting a robbery by a gang of street punks. His family lost a wage earner, father, husband, grandfather, and they were left struggling for the next few decades. Where are their rights in all of this?
Not once in the coverage of the story are the Portuguese judges asked to explain why the murder of Mr Patterson can simply be ignored ... claims that the statute of limitations have run out on his many crimes just don't wash, as he was serving a sentence when he broke out from prison, and he should surely serve the remainder of the time (even if in a Portuguese prison) ... its not clear that Wright will serve any further time at all for his part in the murder of William Patterson.
Just another sad example of how the justice system world wide so often seems to serve the criminals, and not the law abiding.
 |
| George Wright, Criminal Fugitive, Plane Hijacker |
.... but in 1970 he escaped from a prison farm and went on the run to Detroit, then a hotbed of radicalism, where he and a fellow escapee became affiliated with the Black Liberation Army. On the 31st July1972, Wright, then 29, and four accomplices (plus two of their children) hijacked a Delta Airlines flight.
Wright, who was later described as the leader of the gang, was allegedly dressed as a priest, and using the alias the Rev. Larry Darnell Burgess, he had smuggled a handgun aboard the flight in a hollowed-out bible, which he held to a stewardesses head. They demanded that FBI agents (dressed only in bathing suits), deliver $1 million ransom to the plane; the FBI complied. The hijackers allowed the 86 hostage passengers to leave the plane in Miami, but kept the flight crew and ordered that the plane be flown to Algiers, the capital of Algeria, where they sought political asylum as that government had previously supported those 'struggling for liberation'.
The Captain of the plane said afterwards “They said they were revolutionaries, that America is a decadent society and they didn't want to live here anymore.” Upon arrival in Algeria, one of the gang told the pilot: "We're famous," he said, "Send us a copy of your paper."
They were granted asylum, but at the request of the U.S. government, the Algerian government confiscated and returned the $1 million in ransom money to the U.S. After the hijackers' calls to have the ransom money restored to them were ignored by the Algerian government, Wright and his associates disappeared. Apparently sometime in early 1973, the group travelled by ship to France and lived and worked there with new identities.
His accomplices were captured by the French in 1976, but they successfully resisted extradition to the US, but the French convicted them to five year sentences for the hijacking. Meanwhile Wright remained on the run (as he was also wanted for the prison break, and murder as well as the hijacking), and went to Guinea-Bissau (a former Portuguese colony), and finally on to Portugal. While living in Guinea-Bissau in the 1980's, Wright allegedly used his real name and worked as logistics manager of the Belgium-based non-profit Iles de Paix .... he married a Portuguese woman and took the name Jose Luis Jorge dos Santos. This new identity was given to him by Guinea-Bissau, but was recognised by Portugal when Wright was granted political asylum there in the 1980s.
On September the 26th, 2011, he was arrested in Portugal. The FBI requested Wright's extradition from Portugal to the United States, but was denied on the grounds that Wright is a Portuguese citizen. "The Lisbon appeals court ruled that he had Portuguese citizenship and will not be extradited." Wright, praised the court's ruling .... "I am very pleased and I want to thank the Portuguese courts for having made the right decision", he said, adding that he had a "clear conscience".
He might have a "clear conscience", and the Portuguese judges may feel all warm and snuggly, but this decision must leave the family of Walter Patterson pretty cold. As usual in these legal games, the victims and their families are just ignored.
 |
| Walter Patterson, Bronze Star Recipient |
Walter Patterson, unlike Wright, had done something for his country, been brave in battle, and was a hard working family man whose life was ended violently, after being shot while resisting a robbery by a gang of street punks. His family lost a wage earner, father, husband, grandfather, and they were left struggling for the next few decades. Where are their rights in all of this?
Not once in the coverage of the story are the Portuguese judges asked to explain why the murder of Mr Patterson can simply be ignored ... claims that the statute of limitations have run out on his many crimes just don't wash, as he was serving a sentence when he broke out from prison, and he should surely serve the remainder of the time (even if in a Portuguese prison) ... its not clear that Wright will serve any further time at all for his part in the murder of William Patterson.
Just another sad example of how the justice system world wide so often seems to serve the criminals, and not the law abiding.
Just pathetic.... yes...another example that there is no justice in this world. Along with his murder charge... why would Portugal harbor a criminal? What about him breaking out of prison AND hijacking an airliner? Since there is no justice on this earth- God's justice and judgement will come down on Wright and he will NEVER be able to outrun that. Patterson, his family and the officers who have spent decades hunting Wright down are the true heroes here and my heart goes out to them for a travesty that has made them all victims also.
ReplyDeleteGood on you for keeping this story alive and letting the world know who this criminal really is. The U.S. government needs to apply more pressure because all they are doing is letting everyone know that you're free as a bird if you take off to another country. They just gave up on making Wright pay for his multiple crimes! Pathetic.
Well lets hope so, but I rather suspect that the truth is that he's escaped punishment.
DeleteThe BBC are celebrating the hijackers of Delta Airlines 841 .... how the values of the world are now turned upside down.
ReplyDelete