The Canadian National Post reported November 3 that Joseph Coleman Pannell, 57, who had been working in the library under the name of Douglas Gary Freeman for 13 years, could appeal the decision on the grounds that he cannot get a fair trial in the U.S. His attorney Julian Falconer confirmed November 2 that Pannell is appealing a 2005 extradition order by an Ontario court and may take his case to the Canadian Supreme Court.
Pannell, allegedly a former member of the Black Panther Party, is accused of shooting Chicago police officer Terrence Knox on March 7, 1969, when the officer stopped him to ask why he wasn’t inside a nearby high school. Pannell, who was arrested after the shooting, jumped bail twice, missing court dates in 1971 and 1973 and ultimately fleeing to Canada.
Posted November 3, 2006.