Naman Shrestha
When the 30-year-old activist Annie Mae Aquash passed away under mysterious circumstances in late 1975, the entire community was shocked to its core. Her killers — Arlo Looking Cloud and John Graham — were not captured until decades later in the 2000s. The entire case is covered in detail in Hulu’s four-part documentary series titled ‘Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae,’ which also features in-depth interviews with Annie Mae’s loved ones and the former members of the AIM.
Annie Mae Was Kidnapped and Murdered By the Members of the AIM
In the late 1960s, the American Indian Movement (AIM) came into existence in order to demand justice and equal rights for the American Indians in the States. One of the many members of the AIM was Annie Mae Aquash, who also participated in the Wounded Knee operation in the early 1970s. A couple of years later, in late 1975, she suddenly went missing. Around the same time, the 30-year-old was suspected to be an informant working for the FBI. Her body was discovered in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in February 1976, and a thorough investigation was launched by the authorities.
During the investigation, it was revealed that she was shot to death and was last seen at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation with the AIM members Arlo Looking Cloud, John Graham, and Theda Nelson Clarke in December 1975. She was reportedly picked up from the residence of Troy Lynn Yellow Wood and was going to be dropped off at Rapid City, South Dakota. Despite the suspicions about her fellow AIM members, the police could not take further actions against them due to lack of evidence. Finally, after about three decades, Arlo and John were officially indicted by a federal grand jury on March 20, 2003, for the murder of Annie Mae.
While Arlo Looking Cloud Has Been Released From Prison, John Graham is Serving His Sentence at a South Dakota Prison Facility
Nearly a year after the indictment, on February 8, 2004, Arlo Looking Cloud’s trial for the homicide of Annie Mae began. During the trial, the prosecution did not present physical evidence directly linking him to the crime. Instead, they showed a videotape of his confession to the jury. Thus, five days into the trial, it proved enough for the jury to deem him guilty and convict him of murder. A few months later, on April 23, 2004, Arlo was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Following his conviction, Arlo and his defense attorneys filed an appeal as he retracted his confession, claiming that it was false. However, the judge rejected the appeal and upheld his conviction and sentencing.
Several years later, in late 2010, John Graham stood trial for his involvement in the murder of Annie Mae. While the prosecution witnesses testified against him and two other AIM members — Arlo and Theda Clark — the defense only questioned the reliability of those witnesses. The prosecution also claimed that the reason why they murdered Annie was that they believed she was an FBI informant. One of the key witnesses was the convict, Arlo, himself, who testified that he saw John shoot Annie right in front of him. After a couple of days of deliberation, on December 10, 2010, 55-year-old John Graham was found guilty of felony murder of Annie Mae. However, he was acquitted of premeditated murder.
Due to Arlo’s key testimony against John, his life imprisonment sentence was reduced to 20 years. According to reports, Arlo Looking Cloud was released from FTC Oklahoma City in November 2020. Meanwhile, after his conviction, John Graham appealed his conviction multiple times over the years but the South Dakota Supreme Court denied his appeals and upheld his conviction. As of today, he is incarcerated at South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. As for the other potential suspects, Thelma Conroy-Rios was also indicted with John Graham. However, she took a guilty plea and admitted being an accessory to the kidnapping of Annie Mae. Another suspect named Vine Richard “Dick” Marshall was alleged to be involved in the murder in 2008, but he was acquitted of the charges.
Read More: Where is Annie Mae’s Family Now?
