NEW YORK — 1965 · Murder

The Assassination of Malcolm X (Audubon Ballroom)

Under InvestigationSources: ALast updated: 14 October 2026

On 21 February 1965 Malcolm X, one of the most influential voices of the civil-rights era, was shot and killed aged 39 while preparing to speak at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan's Washington Heights. Three men were convicted of the murder. After a 22-month reinvestigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, two of them were exonerated in November 2021, when it emerged that the FBI and police had withheld exculpatory information from the defence. In 2022 New York City and State agreed settlements totalling $36 million with the exonerated men and their families. The full structure behind the attack is still debated.

Date: 1965
Place: Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York, USA, New York, US
Category: Murder
Case Status: Under Investigation
Coordinates: 40.8401, -73.9393 ↗

Timeline of Events

21 February 1965Malcolm X was shot dead at the Audubon Ballroom.
1966Three men were convicted of the murder.
2020The Manhattan District Attorney's Office reopened the case.

18 November 2021Two of the convicted men were exonerated in court.
October 2022The city and state agreed $36 million in settlements.

Sources

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