[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 85 (Thursday, June 29, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1147-E1148]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   TRIBUTE TO FBI SPECIAL AGENTS RONALD A. WILLIAMS AND JACK R. COLER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL G. OXLEY

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 28, 2000

  Mr. OXLEY. Mr. Speaker, twenty-five years ago last Monday, FBI 
Special Agents Ronald A. Williams and Jack R. Coler were mercilessly 
gunned down on South Dakota's Pine

[[Page E1148]]

Ridge Reservation. The agents were pursuing a fugitive on June 26, 
1975; one of the three people in the vehicle the agents were tracking 
was Leonard Peltier. A fugitive from justice wanted for attempted 
murder, Peltier and his associates abruptly emerged from their vehicle 
and opened fire on the agents. Williams and Coler were shot point blank 
in the head, and died instantly. Peltier was captured after several 
months, and now serves two consecutive life sentences at Leavenworth.
  Time and again, Peltier rightly has been denied parole for his 
heinous crimes, most recently just two weeks ago. Each of his appeals 
has failed. Even after a quarter century, and amid the constant barrage 
of liberal Hollywood actors glorifying this murderer, the American 
people have not forgotten Peltier's fatal assaults. Leonard Peltier 
slaughtered two young FBI special agents at the beginning of their 
careers, for which he deserves to spend the remainder of his life in 
prison.
  As a fellow former FBI special agent, I am honored today to recognize 
the supreme sacrifice of Ronald A. Williams, age 27, and Jack R. Coler, 
age 28. These slain heroes gave their lives in defense of justice for 
all. I join law enforcement officers throughout the nation in saluting 
their memories on this day. Their fidelity, bravery, and integrity live 
on in their comrades.
  I commend to my colleagues' attention the following statement by FBI 
Director Louis Freeh.

                                       U.S. Department of Justice,


                              Federal Bureau of Investigation,

                                     Washington, DC June 26, 2000.

                Statement of FBI Director Louis J. Freeh

       On behalf of the men and women of the FBI, and in memory of 
     all who have lost their lives in the line of duty, I would 
     like to observe the 25th anniversary of the brutal slaying of 
     Special Agents Ronald A. Williams and Jack R. Coler.
       Twenty-five years ago today, these two outstanding Special 
     Agents of the FBI were summarily executed by a gunman in 
     South Dakota. Ron Williams and Jack Coler had been searching 
     for a robbery suspect near Pine Ridge on 6/26/75 when they 
     were shot from a distance of 250 yards. They were grievously 
     wounded and on the ground when the killer approached and shot 
     them, one after the other, at point blank range, through 
     their faces.
       The FBI cannot forget this cold blooded crime, nor should 
     the American people. I was a new Special Agent, still in 
     training school, when this horrific crime was enacted. Its 
     cold blooded disregard for law and order ensured that it 
     would never be forgotten, its criminal nature never obscured.
       In February 1976, Leonard Peltier was arrested and charged 
     with the murder of these two agents. The evidence was 
     unarguable and conclusive. On 4/18/77, he was found guilty of 
     the first-degree murders of Williams and Cofer and sentenced 
     on 6/1/77 to two consecutive life terms. All his many appeals 
     to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit have 
     failed. The Supreme Court of the United States has twice 
     denied Peltier's petitions for review of his case. Most 
     recently, on 6/12/2000, his parole board held its regular 2-
     year statutory review of the case, pending the full hearing 
     it is required to hold in 2008. Once again, parole for 
     Leonard Peltier was not recommended. It is a testament to the 
     American judicial system and the American people that 25 
     years have not been able to erase or soften the facts of the 
     case. The rule of law has continued to prevail over the 
     emotion of the moment, the cornerstone attribute of our 
     criminal justice system.
       The men and women of the FBI--and law enforcement officers 
     everywhere--put their lives on the line on a daily basis to 
     protect the American people. They, with me, would like to 
     remind the nation of the fidelity, bravery, and integrity of 
     Agents Williams and Coler who 25 years ago today lost their 
     lives but not their places in our hearts.

     

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