title: Suicide Squad

text: The Suicide Squad are sent to a Russian prison to retrieve a secret item, which turns out to be a portal to the Phantom Zone. During the unfolding events, a Russian group of metahumans, known as the Annihilation Brigade, shows up and the situation worsens. General Zod gets free of the Vault, and Captain Boomerang is killed. The battle is brought to an abrupt halt as a new character, Hack, breaches the Russian database and learns how to pull General Zod back into the portal.


title: Suicide Squad

text: Back in Belle Reve, scientists working for Waller are examining the portal. Waller shares her intent to weaponize Zod and add him to her Suicide Squad. Flag disagrees, and conflict escalates between the two, leading to Flag firing his gun at Waller.


title: Suicide Squad

text: In the next issue, Amanda's scientists continue trying to extract Zod. Meanwhile, the portal is sending out electromagnetic waves, and the characters appear to act in increasingly erratic ways. The portal waves are shown as having the opposite effect on Harley, causing her to realise she must intervene in the escalating blood lust.


title: Suicide Squad

text: This episode follows the Squad to the fictional island of Badhinisia, where the team has been dispatched to prevent the Brimstone Brotherhood from causing an earthquake. During the events, the Squad is confronted by the Justice League, having learned of the team's existence from Batman. Waller shares her intention to blow the bombs in their necks if they are captured by, or surrender to, the League. The Suicide Squad are defeated by the Justice League until Killer Frost absorbs a portion of a weakened Superman's life force and freezes everyone.


title: Suicide Squad

text: Back at Belle Reve Penitentiary, the Justice League has been captured by Amanda. Batman escapes his confinement and confronts Waller about her plans for the League. When the plot reveals the approaching threat of Max Lord and his super villain team, the two teams must pool their efforts in order to prevent the theft of a powerful weapon from inside Belle Reve.


title: Suicide Squad

text: As the story progresses, Lord succeeds in stealing the Heart of Darkness (a.k.a. the Eclipso Diamond) and uses it to control the League, and through them, gains control of the world. Batman rallies Lobo and the remaining Squad members to make a final stand against Lord, escalating to conflict with the compromised Justice League. Meanwhile, Amanda observes that Lord himself is falling under the influence of the Eclipso Diamond, and warns him of this when Lord has her brought to the White House. Lord realises too late that Waller's warning held truth. In the following chaos, Batman deems them the new Justice League. Although Lord is able to bring most of the Squad/League under his control, he is defeated when Killer Frost, acting on Batman's instructions, is able to create a prism of ice that reflects Superman's heat vision in a frequency that will disrupt Eclipso's control of the heroes, Eclipso himself being vanquished by Killer Frost as she draws on the life energy of the rest of the heroes and Squad members present, thus limiting the drain on any one of them. In the aftermath of the crisis, Killer Frost is officially released while Lord is kept in Waller's custody, Waller musing that she will use him for 'Task Force XI'.


title: Suicide Squad

text: Waller recruits Juan Soria, a prospective hero who was turned down by the Justice League and then arrested for robbery, into the Squad in order to combat an alien force that feeds off optimism and hope. In preparation for the mission, Waller had systematically broken Soria down to rid him of any and all hope. This allowed him to defeat the creature. After learning that he was used, Waller relocates Soria to Killer Croc's cell. Croc had previously been tempted to eat Soria and it is assumed this is what happened.


title: Suicide Squad

text: The Squad confronts Damage, who Waller wants to recruit for her Task Force XL. Meanwhile, King Faraday, who is still being held at Belle Reve, reveals he's been accessing Waller's hidden files and asks about someone named Coretta. Waller is visually shaken by the mention. She leaves the prison and goes to her daughter Coretta in the hospital as she's just given birth to Waller's grandchild. Her son Jessie tells her that Coretta does not want to see her. Hack returns and reveals she is in Belle Reve's computers. She begins opening the cells, erasing files, and murdering guards.


title: Suicide Squad

text: DC Comics created a magical version of the Suicide Squad known as Suicide Squad Black in 2019 during the DC Rebirth run. It was created by Jai Nitz and Scot Eaton. The team have a six issue comic series titled "Suicide Squad: Black Files".


title: Suicide Squad

text: The roster consists of Gentleman Ghost, Azucar, Enchantress, Juniper, Klarion the Witch Boy, Tiamat, and Wither, and El Diablo for a magical roster of the Squad called Suicide Squad Black.


title: Suicide Squad

text: The monthly Suicide Squad comic was again relaunched at the start of 2020, written by Tom Taylor with art by Bruno Redondo.


title: Suicide Squad

text: The initial storyline features a Task Force X run by a mysterious bureaucrat called Lok directing a team composed of Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Magpie, Cavalier, the Shark and the Zebra-Man to press gang a group of anarchist superhumans called the Revolutionaries. Over the course of the first six issues several Revolutionaries are killed in action; it transpires that the Revolutionaries were deliberately setting themselves up in infiltrate Task Force X and Lok is a frontman for Black Mask, who is impersonating Ted Kord.


title: Suicide Squad

text: The Infinite Frontier monthly Suicide Squad comic launched in March 2021, written by Robbie Thompson with art by Eduardo Pansica.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: John William Lowery (born July 31, 1970), best known by the stage name John 5, is an American guitarist. His stage name was bestowed on him in 1998 when he left David Lee Roth's solo band and joined the rock group Marilyn Manson as their guitarist, taking over for Zim Zum. Still going by the name John 5, Lowery became the guitarist for Rob Zombie in addition to his continued collaborations with musical artists across many genres. In 2022, John 5 left Rob Zombie and became the touring lead guitarist for Mötley Crüe.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: He is also a solo artist having recorded ten guitar albums: "Vertigo" (2004), "Songs for Sanity" (2005), "The Devil Knows My Name" (2007), "Requiem" (2008), "The Art of Malice" (2010), "God Told Me To" (2012), "Careful With That Axe" (2014), "Season of the Witch" (2017), "Invasion" (2019), and "Sinner" (2021). He also has a remix album, "Remixploitation" (2009), and live albums "It's Alive" (2018) and "Live Invasion" (2020). As a staff writer for Chrysalis Records, he works with artists such as Avril Lavigne, Rob Halford, k.d. lang, Garbage, Meat Loaf, Scorpions, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, FeFe Dobson, and Steve Perry, and has written and recorded with Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: Lowery is a native of Grosse Pointe, Michigan. He first started playing guitar at seven after watching Buck Owens and Roy Clark's television show "Hee Haw" with his dad. Specifically, Lowery recalls seeing a young Jimmy Henley playing banjo that drew his inspiration.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: His parents supported his playing as long as it did not interfere with his education. He also took guitar lessons from Detroit guitarist Robert Gillespie who taught him classic blues and rock 'n' roll. They also accompanied him at the adult bars he would play during the evening.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: His early musical influences came from the Monkees, Kiss, guitarists Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Jimi Hendrix, Yngwie Malmsteen, and country music.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: Lowery started his career as a session guitarist having moved to Los Angeles from Michigan at age 17. His first band in L.A. was Alligator Soup, which led to an important meeting with Rudy Sarzo from Whitesnake who recruited Lowery for his band Sun King giving him his first real bit of exposure. This also saw him meeting producer Bob Marlette, who has worked with, among others, Tracy Chapman, Alice Cooper, Rob Halford and Black Sabbath.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: Lowery began working on numerous projects with Marlette including television show soundtracks, movie soundtracks including "", and commercials and infomercials. This in turn saw Lowery being picked to play with Lita Ford, opening up for Kiss. He started another long time friendship with the various Kiss members, including a close friendship with Paul Stanley which resulted in his guesting on Stanley's "Live to Win" album.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: Lowery's next role saw him working with Randy Castillo, in the short-lived projects Bone Angels and Red Square Black, who issued the "Square" EP via Zoo/BMG. The band disbanded when Lowery was picked to play with k.d. lang on tour.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: In 1996, Lowery heard that Marilyn Manson was looking for a guitarist and attempted to cold-call the studio Manson was working with to request an audition, but was hung up on, as the guitarist role had already been given to Zim Zum. Lowery teamed up with then-former Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford, along with Sid Riggs (drums) James Wooley (keyboards), and Ray Riendeau (bass) to work on an industrial metal-inspired album, under the band name of 2wo (Two). The subsequent album ("Voyeurs") was remixed by Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) and was released on Reznor's Nothing Records label, under the parent company Interscope Records (Universal). The album was not a commercial hit but did produce one video, made by director Chi Chi Larue, for the first single "I am a Pig". It featured some S&M scenes and so was not widely broadcast, but the video was not banned as has been previously rumored. The band embarked on a world tour and were part of the Ozzfest lineup, but the tour was pulled and 2wo disbanded.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: Arguably, John 5's first truly "big break" came when he was selected by former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth to play lead guitar on the critically well-received 1998 release "DLR Band".


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: Regarding how he came to meet Roth, in Guitarist Magazine, Lowery relates that, "when I was little, my dream was to play with David Lee Roth. One day I was sitting at my friend's house and... I wonder[ed] what... Roth is doing now. [In 1997, Roth had just been let go from Van Halen for a second time in favor of Gary Cherone, and also penned a tongue-in-cheek memoir.]. I'm gonna call up his manager and see if he needs any songs."


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: John 5 submitted six tracks that he had written to Roth's management. Having been a longtime fan of David Lee Roth's work, both in Van Halen and as a solo artist, Lowery believed that he knew exactly what Roth would like. On hearing Lowery's songs, Roth was very impressed and subsequently asked for Lowery to submit several more songs. At the time, Roth was choosing between Lowery and Mike Hartman as to who would play lead guitar. (Lowery would also play bass on the album under the moniker, "B'urbon Bob".) Hartman would die a short time later in 2000 of Cystic Fibrosis.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: Impressed by John 5's prodigious skill, Roth scheduled a meeting and then scheduled a recording session that lasted two weeks and resulted in the fourteen track "DLR Band" album. "I remember before we started, he [David Lee Roth] said, 'If you can't do it in two takes, you can't do it.'"


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: In 2003, while still lead guitarist for Marilyn Manson, Lowery (then called John 5) was invited by David Lee Roth to write and record the single non-cover song for Roth's 2003 album "Diamond Dave".


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: After the recording of "Mechanical Animals", Marilyn Manson was again looking for a guitarist to replace Zim Zum who had been dismissed from the band during the recording process. Again John went to try out for the band. Following a tour with Rob Halford in Europe, John received a call from Manson's manager asking if he would like to meet Manson for lunch. At the meeting Manson asked John to join the band. Lowery accepted and Manson gave him the name "John 5". As Lowery put it, "right then and there. It was obviously something he'd been thinking about.". 5 signed on for the Mechanical Animals tour and to work on the next album. His first live performance for Marilyn Manson came on the MTV Video Music Awards.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: During the opening bars of "The Beautiful People" at the 2003 Rock Am Ring festival Manson was moving across the stage when he hit Lowery's guitar and chest with his boot. Lowery was outraged and threw his guitar while screaming at Manson, which led to much speculation. According to Lowery, the Grotesk Burlesk tour had been a high-pressure endeavor, and just weeks before he had suffered losses of very close family members. Lowery later commented on his behavior, calling it unprofessional and stating that there was no bad blood between Manson and him.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: During this time period, Lowery also worked on a band called Plague with Jason Lowetz as the frontman. The album was produced with Bob Marlette but never made it out of the studio. Lowery was considered for the job as frontman for Velvet Revolver before Scott Weiland took it on.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: In 2004, Lowery and Manson parted company. Confusion was rife as certain press reported that he had been dumped unceremoniously from the band, but in reality the two came to a mutual agreement that they wanted to go their separate ways. "What actually happened was, at the end of the tour, we were just on different roads. It was completely amicable. He just wanted to write with other members of the band, and I wanted to do other things." While working with Manson, Lowery stated that Manson may have harbored resentment toward him since he does not do drugs or drink alcohol, whereas Manson "is not like that." However, Lowery claims Manson never stated this explicitly to him, and remains unclear on why or whether Manson has ill will toward him.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: In 2005, Lowery formed the band Loser. Recruiting vocalist Joe Grah, Charles Lee on bass, and Glendon Crain on drums, they began working on their debut album "Just Like You". The band was also partly co-founded by friend and producer Bob Marlette. Vocalist Joe Grah already had a significant amount of success in his home state of Texas, with the band Jibe. Marlette recommended Grah to Lowery, and so Lowery hopped on a plane to Texas to see the band play. Grah flew back to L.A. and was hired on the spot.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: "I was from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, which is kind of an upper-class area, and I was always that rock kid," John explained. "I started playing guitar at age 7. I always had a rock shirt on, and I had that tattoo early on. I looked like a loser because everyone around me was wearing Polo and Brooks Brothers. But now if you go into a club wearing Polo, you're called a loser. So I think everyone can relate to that name, and the album title, Just Like You, sums it up."


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: The band had initial success not long after signing with Island Records, when the track "Disposable Sunshine" became part of the "Fantastic Four" soundtrack.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: During this time, during the recording of the soundtrack, Crain briefly left the band and was replaced by drummer Elias Andra, a friend of Lee's. Andra had some success himself with the band Psycho Plague, his own creation, an industrial metal band, which toured as a headline act with Linkin Park as an opening act at the time. However, Andra soon left after promotional shots had been taken, and Crain returned. Andra went on to become the drummer for Julien-K.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: At the same time, Lowery was also working for Rob Zombie and a working conflict occurred. As Zombie was also touring, Lowery tried to find a live replacement for him while Loser were touring on conflicting dates. However, even with promo material for the debut album out and a release date in the bag, Island Records did not like the idea of Loser without John and so dropped the band from the label.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: "Being the founding member of Loser, my decision to leave was not an easy one", said John 5 in a press release. "I've been juggling two careers both with Loser and Rob Zombie for over one year now. I found it impossible to be in two places at once."


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: The album has been put on the backburner, and no word on a release date has ever been issued. The official Loser Myspace page has tracks available for download (working on April 11, 2012). The album was never officially released, but promotional copies were distributed to radio stations and music industry insiders, and have become collectors items among fans.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: While Lowery was working with Loser, he also began to work with cult rock artist and movie director Rob Zombie. Meeting at the Camp Freddy benefit gig, Lowery and Zombie hit it off immediately and Rob asked Lowery to play with him at Ozzfest 2005.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: "I'm totally ecstatic about having the opportunity to play with Rob on Ozzfest! He has been one of my favorite artists for the longest time. I had the opportunity to play with him a few weeks back and never thought that I would have the chance to share the stage with him playing the Zombie songs we all know and love!"


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: It was reported that Zombie was looking to quit the music industry to concentrate on his movie career until he began to work with Lowery.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: "Camp Freddy asked me to do this benefit, just to play one song, at the Arrowhead Pond (in Anaheim, California) for this tsunami relief thing. And John was there, and we played one song, 'Thunderkiss,' and it kicked ass and he's a supercool guy and I was like, 'this is perfect.' John said, 'Do you need a guitar player for Ozzfest?' I said, 'Yes.' He said, 'I wanna do it,' I said, 'Perfect, done.'" -Rob Zombie on John 5


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: Lowery worked on Rob Zombie's 2006 album "Educated Horses", co-writing eight out of eleven tracks with Zombie. When he left Loser, Lowery took up the role of Rob Zombie guitarist as a permanent gig. "Rob is the best I have worked with. He's great. We have a great time on stage together. It has been the single greatest experience I have had working with someone, hands down." John is also the guitarist on Rob's latest albums, "Hellbilly Deluxe 2", released February 2, 2010, "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor", released April 23, 2013, "The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser", released April 29, 2016, and "The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy", released March 12, 2021.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: In early 2011, Lowery was joined by fellow ex-Marilyn Manson bandmate, Ginger Fish, as a member of Rob Zombie's band. Zombie/Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison was in Europe with his band Murderdolls, leaving Zombie without a drummer for some shows during the American leg of their tour. Lowery asked Fish to fill in as drummer. In April 2011, Fish was announced as the new and permanent drummer.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: In October 2011, Zombie confirmed by his Facebook account that Lowery would be scoring the soundtrack for Rob Zombie's latest movie, "The Lords of Salem". This was also confirmed on the official John 5 website."


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: In May 2021, it was announced that John 5 along with Rob Zombie, Nikki Sixx, and Tommy Clufetos formed a supergroup called L.A. Rats. Their debut track, "I've Been Everywhere", is from the soundtrack to the Liam Neeson film "The Ice Road".


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: On October 26, 2022, it was announced that Mick Mars would be retiring as a touring guitarist from Mötley Crüe due to ongoing health issues. Rumors had been circulating that John 5 would take over as Mars' replacement, especially since John did not show for a Rob Zombie concert at Aftershock in Sacramento, California. On October 27, Mötley Crüe confirmed that John 5 had taken his place.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: Starting in 2004 with "Vertigo", Lowery has recorded eight instrumental records. His works have featured many guest players. For example, "Songs for Sanity" had Albert Lee, and other records have had Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and Jim Root. In 2009, John released a remix album, "Remixploitation". Lowery has also released an instructional DVD entitled "The Devil Knows My Name" (2007). In July 2009, on his Twitter page, John 5 announced that he is now six tracks into the next solo album. On October 2, 2009, he played with Slash at a tribute to the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: In a Twitter update January 6, 2010, John 5 had this to say about the progress of his upcoming fifth studio album; "Just did all the guitar, bass for my new solo CD, Tommy Clufetos played the drums and killed it!" and a following Twitter update January 8; "Did the photo shoot for the new record today!", January 18: "Just had Billy sheehan play on the song (ya dig), this record is going to rule".


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: In June 2011, John 5 officially closed his MySpace page. John commented on his own website, "There are a number of reasons, mainly the decline of Myspace as a platform to reach you, the fans. ... So today, the steps were taken to close the account at the Myspace page."


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: He often names his songs after famous murderers, e.g. Ed Gein ("Gein with Envy", "Songs for Sanity"), Albert Fish ("Werewolf of Westeria", "The Devil Knows My Name"), or torture devices (see any song from "Requiem").


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: In February 2014, while giving an interview at the Soundwave festival John 5 announced his seventh solo album entitled "Careful with That Axe", which would go on to be released in August of that year.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: John 5 released his eighth solo album titled "Season of the Witch" on March 3, 2017. He released his first live album, "It's Alive", in early 2018 and toured in the early and late months of 2018 in support of it. John 5 released his ninth solo album entitled "Invasion" on July 31, 2019. He was on the road in early and late 2019 in support of the "Invasion" album.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: John 5 has been married three times. John 5 married his second wife, pornographic actress Aria Giovanni in 2002, but they divorced in 2006. He then married hair stylist Rita Lowery (nee Aghajani) on June 7, 2009. John 5 has three children: Jeremy and Nicole from his first marriage and step-son Andre who is the son of Rita Lowery. John 5 also has a grandson.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: He is an avid Kiss collector, concentrating on merchandise, clothing, and promotional items from 1973 to 1983. His collection is the focus of his knightsinsatanservice Instagram account.


title: John 5 (guitarist)

text: During 2005, John 5 used Marshall amplifiers and cabinets, Boss pedals, Fender Telecaster and J5 guitars, and Dean Markley strings. Prior to that, he used Ibanez guitars and was an endorser for that brand.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: Adrienne Levine (June 24, 1966 – November 1, 2006), better known by the stage name Adrienne Shelly (sometimes credited as Adrienne Shelley), was an American actress, film director and screenwriter. She became known for roles in independent films such as Hal Hartley's "The Unbelievable Truth" (1989) and "Trust" (1990). She wrote, co-starred in, and directed the 2007 posthumously-released film "Waitress" which later became a Broadway show.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: Shelly's death in 2006 was initially determined by police to be suicide; her husband's insistence on a re-evaluation brought her killer to justice.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: Shelly's husband established the Adrienne Shelly Foundation, which awards scholarships, production grants, finishing funds, and living stipends to artists. In her honor, the Women Film Critics Circle gives an annual Adrienne Shelly Award to the film that it finds "most passionately opposes violence against women."


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: Shelly was born Adrienne Levine in Queens to Sheldon Levine and Elaine Langbaum. She had two brothers and was raised on Long Island. She began performing when she was about 10 at Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center. Shelly made her professional debut in a summer stock production of the musical "Annie" while a student at Jericho High School in Jericho, New York. She went on to Boston University, majoring in film production, but dropped out after her junior year and moved to Manhattan.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: Shelly's breakthrough came when she was cast by independent filmmaker Hal Hartley as the lead in "The Unbelievable Truth" (1989) and "Trust" (1990). "Trust" was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, where Hartley's script tied for the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Shelly guest-starred in a number of television series including "Law & Order", "Oz" and "", and played major roles in over two dozen off-Broadway plays, often at Manhattan's Workhouse Theater. In 2005 she appeared in the film "Factotum" starring Matt Dillon.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: During the 1990s, Shelly segued toward a career behind the camera. She wrote and directed 1999's "I'll Take You There", in which she appeared alongside Ally Sheedy. She won a U.S. Comedy Arts Festival Film Discovery Jury Award in 2000 for direction of the film, and Prize of the City of Setúbal: Special Mention, at the Festróia (Tróia International Film Festival) held in Setúbal, Portugal, for best director. Her final work was writing, directing, co-set- and costume-designing, and acting in the film "Waitress", starring Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. Shelly's daughter, Sophie, has a cameo at the end of the film.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: Shelly, who took her professional surname from her late father's given name, was married to Andy Ostroy, the chairman and CEO of the marketing firm Belardi/Ostroy. They met in 2001 on Match.com, were married in 2002, and had a daughter, Sophie (born 2003), who was two years old at the time of her mother's death. Shelly had written the film "Waitress" during the time she was pregnant with her daughter, Sophie. Shelly described herself as an "optimistic agnostic."


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: Shelly was found dead at approximately 5:45 p.m on November 1, 2006. Her husband, Andy Ostroy, discovered her body in the Abingdon Square apartment in Manhattan's West Village that she used as an office. Ostroy had dropped her off at 9:30 a.m. He became concerned that Shelly had not been in contact during the day and asked the doorman to accompany him to the apartment. They found her body hanging from a shower rod in the bathtub with a bed sheet around her neck.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: Although the door was unlocked and money was missing from her wallet, the NYPD believed Shelly had taken her own life. An autopsy found she had died as a result of neck compression. Ostroy insisted that his wife was happy in her personal and professional life, and would never have committed suicide leaving her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter motherless. His protests over the following days prompted further examination of the bathroom, which revealed a sneaker print in gypsum dust on the toilet beside where her body had been found. The print was matched to other shoe prints in the building where construction work had been done the day of Shelly's death.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: Diego Pillco, a 19-year-old construction worker from Ecuador, was arrested on November 6, and confessed on tape to attacking Shelly and staging the fake suicide. Pillco's original version claimed that when Shelly demanded the construction noise be kept down, he threw a hammer at her. Afraid she might make a complaint that could result in his deportation, since he had immigrated into the United States illegally, he followed her back to her apartment. Pillco said Shelly slapped him when he grabbed her at her apartment door and he retaliated by punching her in the face, knocking her to the ground where she hit her head and fell unconscious. Believing he had killed her, he then hanged her to make it appear a suicide. This version of events was not supported by the lack of head trauma and the presence of neck compression as the cause of death.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: Pillco gave a different account during trial in 2008. He said he was returning to work after lunch when he noticed Shelly returning to her apartment in the elevator, and decided to follow and rob her. He said he waited on the landing of Shelly's apartment as she entered and left the door open, and intended to steal from her purse. When Shelly caught him and threatened to call police, he grabbed the phone and covered her mouth to quiet her screaming. After rendering Shelly unconscious, Pillco bound a bed sheet around her neck and strangled her. He then dragged her to the bathroom where he hung her body from the shower rod to make her death look like suicide.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: The second version was consistent with the lack of dust on Shelly's shoes which she was not wearing when found, and was apparently a confession to murder. Prosecutors thought if charged with murder Pillco might return to his original account and a jury trial could find him guilty of a lesser charge. The medical examiner determined that Shelly was still alive when hanged. Pillco pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 25 years in prison without parole. Since he is an illegal immigrant, he is scheduled to be deported to Ecuador upon release.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: At Pillco's sentencing on March 13, 2008, Shelly's husband and family members said that they would never forgive him. Andy Ostroy said of Pillco "...you are nothing more than a cold-blooded killer" and that he hoped he would "rot in jail."


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: Ostroy said that "Adrienne was the kindest, warmest, most loving, generous person I knew. She was incredibly smart, funny and talented, a bright light with an infectious laugh and huge smile that radiated inner and outer beauty... she was my best friend, and the person with whom I was supposed to grow old."


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: According to an acquaintance, Pillco said after eight months he still owed a debt on the $12,000 he had paid to be smuggled into the US, and he lived in the basement of a building owned by his employer. One of Shelly's neighbors told reporters that Pillco's stare had made the neighbor feel uncomfortable when she walked past him. Shelly's husband sued contractor Bradford General Contractors, which had hired Pillco. The complaint alleged that Shelly would still be alive if the contracting firm had not hired him.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: Ostroy also sought to hold the owners and management of the building liable for Shelly's murder. According to a "New York Post" article, among other allegations, the complaint stated that Pillco was an undocumented immigrant...' as were his co-workers, and that "it was in Bradford General Contractors' interest not to have 'police and immigration officials [called] to the job site' because that would have ground their work to a halt."


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: On July 7, 2011, the lawsuit was dismissed by Judge Louis York. The court determined that Ostroy had not established legal grounds to hold the contractor liable, writing "While this court sympathizes with [Ostroy's] loss, plaintiffs have not presented sufficient legal grounds upon which to hold Bradford ... liable for Pillco's vicious crime," and that there was likewise insufficient evidence presented to find that either the building's management agents or its owners "had reason to believe that Pillco was a dangerous person who should not have been allowed to work at the premises" in order to find them vicariously liable. Ostroy was said to be considering an appeal.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: Following his wife's death, Ostroy established the Adrienne Shelly Foundation, a nonprofit organization that awards scholarships, production grants, finishing funds, and living stipends through its partnerships with academic and filmmaking institutions NYU, Columbia University, Women in Film, IFP, AFI, Sundance Institute, Tribeca Film Institute, and the Nantucket Film Festival. One of its grant recipients, Cynthia Wade, won an Academy Award in 2008 for "Freeheld", a short-subject documentary that the Foundation had helped fund. The foundation gave an early short film grant to Chloé Zhao, who eight years later became the second woman in history to win the Academy Award for Best Director. As part of its annual awards, the Women Film Critics Circle gives the Adrienne Shelly Award to the film that "most passionately opposes violence against women."


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: On February 16, 2007, the NBC crime drama series "Law & Order" broadcast a season 17 episode titled, "Melting Pot", which was a loose dramatization of Shelly's murder. Shelly herself had guest starred on the show in the 2000 episode "High & Low". The plot of "Melting Pot" contains an alteration of the events wherein the murder is committed by the employer of the undocumented construction worker in an attempt to protect his lucrative business.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: Shelly's film "Waitress" was accepted into the 2007 Sundance Film Festival before her murder. The film, starring Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Cheryl Hines, Jeremy Sisto, Andy Griffith, and Shelly herself, was bought during the festival by Fox Searchlight Pictures for an amount between $4 million and $5 million (news accounts on the actual amount vary), and the film realized a final box-office draw of more than $19 million. "Waitress" maintains a 90% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: "Waitress" and its cast have together won five film awards and received other nominations in various categories, including an Audience award for a feature film at the Newport Beach Film Festival, where cast member Nathan Fillion received a Feature Film award for his role in the film; the Jury Prize at the Sarasota Film Festival for narrative feature; the Wyatt Award by the Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards; and nominations for a Humanitas Prize and an Independent Spirit Award for best screenplay.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: Ostroy produced "Serious Moonlight", a film written by Shelly and directed by Hines. The film stars Meg Ryan, Timothy Hutton, Kristen Bell, and Justin Long. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2009 and was released later that year in December.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: Ostroy spearheaded the establishment of a memorial to his wife. On August 3, 2009, the Adrienne Shelly Garden was dedicated on the Southeast side of Abingdon Square Park at 8th Avenue and West 12th Street. It faces 15 Abingdon Square, the building where Shelly died.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: The musical "Waitress", based on the motion picture written by Shelly, opened on August 1, 2015, at the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University. It was directed by Diane Paulus and featured a book by Jessie Nelson and music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles. It starred Jessie Mueller, winner of a Tony Award for her portrayal of Carole King in the musical "Beautiful". After a sold-out limited engagement, the show moved to Broadway, starting in previews March 25, 2016, and officially opening April 24, 2016. The production closed on January 5, 2020, after 33 previews and 1,544 performances.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: Shelly's murder and police investigation is dramatized in season 4, episode 2 of the Investigation Discovery television series, "The Perfect Murder". She is portrayed by actress Emily Stokes.


title: Adrienne Shelly

text: Ostroy directed a documentary about Shelly's life, titled "Adrienne" in which he meets and has a conversation with Diego Pillco in prison. It premiered on December 1, 2021, on HBO.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: On the morning of August 26, 2015, news reporter Alison Parker and photojournalist Adam Ward, both employees of CBS affiliate WDBJ in Roanoke, Virginia, United States, were fatally shot while conducting a live television interview near Smith Mountain Lake in Moneta. They were interviewing Vicki Gardner, executive director of the local chamber of commerce, when all three were attacked by a gunman. Parker, age 24, and Ward, age 27, died at the scene, while Gardner survived.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: The gunman was 41-year-old Vester Lee Flanagan II, a former reporter at WDBJ who had been fired in 2013 for disruptive conduct. After a five-hour manhunt, Flanagan shot himself during a car chase with police officers and died later at a hospital.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: At the time of the shooting, Alison Parker and Adam Ward were conducting a live interview with Vicki Gardner at Moneta's Bridgewater Plaza about upcoming events for the 50th anniversary of Smith Mountain Lake, southeast of Roanoke. The shooting occurred at 6:46 a.m. EDT in the middle of the segment, which was broadcast on WDBJ's morning news program "Mornin". Video of the incident showed Parker conducting the interview when at least eight gunshots were heard, followed by screams. Ward's camera fell to the ground, briefly capturing the image of Flanagan holding a Glock 19 9mm pistol.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: WDBJ then switched back to "Mornin" anchor Kimberly McBroom at the station's news studio, seemingly confused by what had just happened. She later stated that she believed the noises could have been a car backfiring or shots being fired in the background.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: Parker and Ward died at the scene. Gardner was also shot, but she survived following surgery at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. According to the state medical examiner's office, Parker died from gunshot wounds to her head and chest, while Ward died from shots to his head and torso. Gardner was shot in the back after she curled into a fetal position in an attempt to play dead. A total of fifteen shots were fired.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: Staff in the WDBJ newsroom reviewed video of the incident from Ward's fallen camera and identified Flanagan as the likely gunman. They alerted general manager Jeffrey Marks, who passed the information to the Franklin County sheriff. Flanagan faxed ABC News at 8:23 . and then phoned shortly after 10:00 ., making a confession. During the ensuing manhunt, authorities tracked Flanagan's cell phone to locate him.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: Flanagan abandoned his Ford Mustang at the Roanoke–Blacksburg Regional Airport and drove a rented Chevrolet Sonic north on I-81, then east on I-66. An automated license plate reader in a Virginia state trooper's car identified the rented Sonic at 11:20 . The trooper called for backup and attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but Flanagan sped away. His car ran off the side of the road and struck an embankment near Markham after a pursuit of less than two miles. Flanagan was found inside the car with gunshot wounds, which were apparently self-inflicted while he was driving. He was airlifted to Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, where he was declared dead at 1:26 .


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: Alison Bailey Parker (August 19, 1991 – August 26, 2015) grew up in Martinsville, Virginia, and attended Patrick Henry Community College and James Madison University (JMU). She interned at WDBJ in 2012, worked as a general assignment news reporter at ABC affiliate WCTI-TV in New Bern, North Carolina, from December 2012 until May 2014, and then was hired by WDBJ in 2014 as a correspondent for "Mornin'".


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: Adam Laing Ward (May 10, 1988 – August 26, 2015) was born in Daleville, Virginia. He grew up in Salem and graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in communications and media studies in 2011. He had worked at the station since July 2011 as a videographer, as well as an occasional sports reporter.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: Vicki Gardner is originally from Union Springs, New York, and has been the executive director of the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce since 2002. She underwent surgery in which her right kidney and part of her colon were removed and was released from the hospital on September 8, 2015.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: Vester Lee Flanagan II (October 8, 1973 – August 26, 2015) was known by the professional name Bryce Williams and was a native of Oakland, California. He graduated from Skyline High School and attended San Francisco State University, earning a degree in radio and television in 1995. He interned at CBS affiliate KPIX-TV in San Francisco in 1993, eventually working there as a production assistant and weekend news writer. He had also been a small-time actor and model before beginning his career in journalism.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: Flanagan worked as a general assignment news reporter at CBS affiliate WTOC-TV in Savannah, Georgia, from February 1997 to March 1999. Between March 1999 and March 2000 he worked as a reporter for NBC affiliate WTWC-TV in Tallahassee, Florida, where he reported to news director Don Shafer that co-workers were making offensive comments about his sexual orientation. In an interview with "The Daily Mail", former WTWC sports reporter Dave Leval claimed that Flanagan verbally abused two female staffers at the station on different occasions after they pointed out mistakes in his reporting, and that several photographers had tried to get out of working on stories to which Flanagan was assigned due to his "diva" behavior.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: Flanagan lost his job due to "odd behavior" in March 2000. He filed a civil lawsuit against WTWC alleging racial discrimination, as he was African-American. The lawsuit was settled under unspecified terms in January 2001. WTWC's owner, Sinclair Broadcast Group, had shut down all the station's news operations in November 2000 due to poor ratings and budget reductions. Flanagan worked for CBS affiliate WNCT-TV in Greenville, North Carolina, from 2002–2004. He also found some work at ABC affiliate KMID in Midland, Texas.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: WDBJ announced on April 19, 2012, that they hired Flanagan as a multimedia journalist under the professional name Bryce Williams. Documents relating to his time at WDBJ suggest that the station's management considered him an experienced reporter, but there were conflicts with other reporters and with photographers. Office memos from WDBJ showed that news director Dan Dennison ordered Flanagan to contact Health Advocate in July 2012 after receiving complaints that co-workers were "feeling threatened or uncomfortable" while working with him. It is unclear whether he did so prior to his dismissal.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: WDBJ dismissed Flanagan on February 1, 2013, citing his volatile behavior. According to a former colleague, upon learning of his dismissal, Flanagan lashed out at newsroom staffers, resulting in the staffers being put in a room while police escorted him out of the building. Ward allegedly recorded Flanagan as he was escorted out, and the two men had a confrontation earlier that day. Flanagan allegedly threw a wooden cross at Dennison, saying, "You need this."


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: WDBJ provided security to the staffers for a time after the incident and directed them to call the police if he ever returned to the station.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: Flanagan filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against WDBJ, alleging racial discrimination, in which he allegedly named Parker. The EEOC investigated, then dismissed the complaint as uncorroborated.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: In Flanagan's suicide note he wrote that he had killed both of his cats out of rage after his firing.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: Flanagan got a job at a local UnitedHealth Group call center after his dismissal. He had a confrontation with a female employee who casually pointed out how quiet he was being, to which he responded aggressively, telling her to never talk to him again. One of Flanagan's neighbors in his apartment complex described him as an arrogant person who acted rudely towards people around him. He was noted for sometimes throwing cat feces at the homes of neighbors with whom he had disputes.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: Flanagan maintained accounts on Facebook and Twitter that were suspended after he was named as a suspect in the shooting. He repeated his claims of racial discrimination by WDBJ on both profiles, specifically naming Parker and Ward. He claimed that Parker had made a coded racist remark during her internship at WDBJ regarding a friend of Flanagan's, and that Ward had filed a complaint against him to the station's human resources department after working with him on one occasion.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: At 11:14 . on the day of the shooting, Flanagan uploaded a 56 second phone camera video to his Twitter and Facebook accounts before they were suspended, shot from a first-person perspective of the incident. The video shows Flanagan walking up to the scene of the interview and brandishing a handgun for approximately 15 seconds without Ward, Parker, or Gardner noticing; Gardner later said that she had been blinded by the television lighting. Flanagan mutters "bitch" while pointing the weapon at Parker, and lowers the gun before raising it again and opening fire directly at her. Parker flinches and screams before attempting to escape the attack, and the light of Ward's camera is seen quickly dropping before Flanagan pulls away the camera and shuts it off.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: ABC News received a 23 page fax at 8:26 . allegedly sent by Flanagan entitled, "Suicide Note for Friend & Family". In the document, Flanagan described his grievances over what he alleged to be racial discrimination and sexual harassment committed by black men and white women in his workplace, believing that he was targeted because he was a homosexual black man. He claimed to have been provoked by the Charleston church shooting, two months before, and made threatening comments about Dylann Roof, the perpetrator of that crime. Flanagan described the church shooting as a "tipping point", saying that his anger had been "building steadily" and describing himself as "a human powder keg ... just waiting to go BOOM". A spokesman for the Franklin County Sheriff's Office said that Flanagan "very closely identified" with "individuals who have committed domestic acts of violence and mass murder, as well as the September 11, 2001, attacks on the U.S." Flanagan said that Jehovah had told him to act and expressed an admiration for Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who perpetrated the 1999 Columbine High School massacre; and Seung-Hui Cho, the perpetrator of the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting. Flanagan said in the note, "Yeah I'm all fucked up in the head."


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: After Flanagan's death, officers searched his rental car. They found various items, including a Glock pistol with several magazines and ammunition, a cell phone, letters, notes, a "to-do" list, a suitcase containing three license plates, and several disguises, including a wig.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: U.S. President Barack Obama said he was heartbroken over the murders. Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe said on Twitter that he also was heartbroken over the shooting, and he reasserted his support for gun control. McAuliffe later made calls for tougher gun laws in the state and blamed the Virginia General Assembly for failing to pass a package of gun control measures that he had proposed earlier in January. His remarks drew criticism from Republicans who charged that he was politicizing the tragedy. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia gave his condolences to Parker and Ward's families, as well as to WDBJ and the first responders involved.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: Parker's father, Andy Parker, said that he would become an advocate on the issue of gun violence prevention, comparing it to John Walsh's advocacy of crime prevention. He said that he would speak with politicians and news outlets to address mental health issues and improve care for those with mental illnesses. He had run as a Democratic candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates in 2007. However, he was not elected, and he urged politicians to strengthen laws against gun violence. Andy Parker's comments were made against pressure from the National Rifle Association (NRA), whom he criticized for preventing lawmakers from passing such legislation in the past. He criticized Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, the latter of whom criticized the NRA for obstructing efforts by the General Assembly and Congress to tighten background checks for gun purchases, for not directly contacting his family following the announcement that his daughter was one of the victims. Staff members for Senator Kaine explained that he had not contacted the victims' families at the time "out of respect for their space and privacy during this difficult time of grieving". The same reasoning was cited by Warner on August 29, who said he did not immediately contact Parker's family out of respect to the family's privacy "at a time of unimaginable grief".


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: The shooting led Alison Parker's boyfriend, Chris Hurst, to successfully run for a seat in the House of Delegates with a priority to pass gun control legislation.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: In the immediate wake of the shooting, various media productions were either delayed or pulled from television outlets. USA Network postponed the first-season finale of the series "Mr. Robot" one week from its originally scheduled air date (the day of the murders) because the episode included a scene with similarities to the incident.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: IFC delayed airing an episode of its satirical series "Documentary Now!" which centered on two journalists who are killed on-camera as they track down a Mexican drug cartel leader. Warner Bros. Records decided to pull a television commercial for Disturbed's album "Immortalized", as it depicted an incident similar to the killings.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: Writing about news coverage of the incident, ThinkProgress noted, "There isn't broad consensus about how to handle this type of coverage." Users of Facebook and Twitter criticized the sites' autoplay option, which allowed opted-in viewers to see graphic images of the shooting without warning. The "New York Post", "The New York Daily News", and British tabloids "The Sun" and "The Daily Mirror" were criticized for their decision to publish still frames from Flanagan's phone video of the murders on their front pages. "ABC World News Tonight" did not show any part of Flanagan's video; "NBC Nightly News" broadcast a still frame; and "CBS Evening News" showed a 25 second segment of the video.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: The gun control lobbying group Everytown for Gun Safety shared the broadcast video with a three-second discretionary warning, despite WDBJ's plea on Twitter not to "share or post the video".


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: Christine Courtois, chairwoman of the American Psychological Association's post-traumatic stress disorder guidelines development panel, warned that anyone watching the footage was likely to be upset, possibly leading to acute stress disorder. "The Guardian" journalist C. Bennett criticized the media's use of frame shots and footage as "helping Flanagan achieve his vanity script".


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: "Ebony" writer J. Lemieux and D. Thomas of the "Los Angeles Times" wrote that the American mainstream media were too selective about rebroadcasting the footage of Parker and Ward's deaths to white audiences, but have frequently shown content of many black people being killed. "Los Angeles Times" writer M. McNamara wrote that reluctance to watch or share the graphic footage in order to prevent the fulfillment of "a killer's wish is not just absurd, it's agreeing to adopt a murderer's way of thinking". She said that people should watch the footage, not for entertainment, but to realize how brutal the murders were. "New York Daily News" writer L. Stasi said that media criticism of showing footage contradicted frequent media decisions to publish other violent content.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: The Virginia State Police ordered BBC journalists to delete the station's copy of the video of Flanagan crashing his car during the police chase, before he committed suicide.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: In sworn testimony before Congress in July 2019, Andy Parker credited the HONR Network in assisting him to combat offensive online material and hoaxes spread after the tragedy, saying


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: On February 20, 2020, Andy Parker filed a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission alleging that YouTube had failed to enforce its own Terms of Service by keeping certain videos of the shooting on its website. In October 2021, Parker filed a similar complaint to the FTC about Facebook. In February 2022, it was reported that Parker had created a non-fungible token from the video material recorded by Ward's camera in an attempt to claim copyright as a means of pressuring social media platforms to remove the video.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: In 2019, Vicki Gardner filed a $6 million civil suit against WDBJ for being "negligent in hiring Vester Lee Flanagan II, who wounded her and killed journalists Alison Parker and Adam Ward, then himself". On June 26, 2020, a Franklin County Circuit Court dismissed the case.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: Following the murders, Patrick Henry Community College and the PHCC Foundation created the Alison Bailey Parker Memorial Scholarship to remember Parker, who graduated from the college in 2009. The scholarship is awarded annually to a student studying in a Media Design and Production program. In 2017, JMU dedicated a soundstage and control room in Harrison Hall to Parker, naming it the Alison B. Parker studio. JMU's Media Arts & Design School also established the Alison B. Parker Memorial Fund in her honor.


title: Murders of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

text: The Salem Educational Foundation and Alumni Association established the Adam Ward Scholarship fund to remember Ward. He had previously attended Salem High School where his father, Buddy, had also worked as a guidance counselor.


title: Bob Cousy

text: Robert Joseph Cousy (, born August 9, 1928) is an American former professional basketball player. Cousy played point guard for the Boston Celtics from 1950 to 1963, and briefly with the Cincinnati Royals during the 1969–70 season. A 13-time NBA All-Star and 1957 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), he was a core piece during the early half of the Celtics dynasty winning six NBA championships during his 13-year tenure with the Celtics. Nicknamed "The Houdini of the Hardwood", Cousy was the NBA assists leader for eight consecutive seasons, introducing a new blend of ball-handling and passing skills to the NBA. Following his playing career with the Celtics he served as a college basketball coach and an NBA head coach for the Cincinnati Royals. He is regarded as the first great point guard of the NBA.


title: Bob Cousy

text: Making his high school varsity squad as a junior, Cousy went on to earn a scholarship to the College of the Holy Cross, where he led the Crusaders to berths in the 1948 NCAA Tournament and 1950 NCAA Tournament, while winning NCAA All-American honors for three seasons. Cousy entered the 1950 NBA draft and was initially drafted by the Tri-Cities Blackhawks as the third overall pick in the first round, but after he refused to report he was picked up by Boston.


title: Bob Cousy

text: Upon his election to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971 the Celtics retired his No. 14 jersey and hung it in the rafters of the Garden. Cousy was named to the NBA 25th Anniversary Team in 1971, the NBA 35th Anniversary Team in 1981, and the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996, making him one of only four players that were selected to each of those teams. He was also the first president of National Basketball Players Association. On August 22, 2019, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Donald Trump. In October 2021, Cousy was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.


title: Bob Cousy

text: Cousy was the only son of poor French immigrants living in New York City. He grew up in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan's East Side, in the midst of the Great Depression. His father Joseph was a cab driver, who earned extra income by moonlighting. The elder Cousy had served in the German Army during World War I. Shortly after the war, his first wife died of pneumonia, leaving behind a young daughter. He married Julie Corlet, a secretary and French teacher from Dijon. At the time of the 1930 census, the family was renting an apartment in Astoria, Queens, for $50 per month. The younger Cousy spoke French for the first 5 years of his life, and started to speak English only after entering primary school. He spent his early days playing stickball in a multicultural environment, regularly playing with African Americans, Jews and other ethnic minority children. These experiences ingrained him with a strong anti-racist sentiment, an attitude he prominently promoted during his professional career. When he was 12, his family moved to a rented house in St. Albans, Queens. That summer, the elder Cousy put a $500 down payment for a $4,500 house four blocks away. He rented out the bottom two floors of the three-story building to tenants to help make his mortgage payments on time.


title: Bob Cousy

text: Cousy took up basketball at the age of 13 as a student at St. Pascal's elementary school, and was "immediately hooked". The following year, he entered Andrew Jackson High School in St Albans. His basketball success was not immediate, and in fact he was cut from the school team in his first year. Later that year, he joined the St. Albans Lindens of the Press League, a basketball league sponsored by the "Long Island Press", where he began to develop his basketball skills and gained much-needed experience. The next year, however, he was again cut during the tryouts for the school basketball team.


title: Bob Cousy

text: That same year, he fell out of a tree and broke his right hand. The injury forced him to play left-handed until his hand healed, making him effectively ambidextrous. In retrospect, he described this accident as "a fortunate event" and cited it as a factor in making him more versatile on the court. During a Press League game, the high school basketball coach saw him play. He was impressed by the budding star's two-handed ability and invited Cousy to come to practice the following day to try out for the junior varsity team. He did well enough to become a permanent member of the JV squad. He continued to practice day and night, and by his junior year was sure he was going to be promoted to the varsity; but failing his citizenship course made him ineligible for the first semester. He joined the varsity squad midway through the season, however, scoring 28 points in his first game. He had no intention of attending college, but after he started to make a name for himself on the basketball court he started to focus on improving in both academics and basketball skills to make it easier for him to get into college.


title: Bob Cousy

text: He again excelled in basketball his senior year, leading his team to the Queens divisional championship and amassing more points than any other New York City high school basketball player. He was even named captain of the "Journal-American" All-Scholastic team. He then began to plan for college. His family had wanted him to attend a Catholic school, and he wanted to go somewhere outside New York City. Boston College recruited him, and he considered accepting the BC offer, but it had no dormitories, and he was not interested in being a commuter student. Soon afterward, he received an offer from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts about forty miles (64 kilometers) west of Boston. He was impressed by the school, and accepted the basketball scholarship it offered him. He spent the summer before matriculating working at Tamarack Lodge in the Catskill Mountains and playing in a local basketball league along with a number of established college players.


title: Bob Cousy

text: Cousy was one of six freshmen on the Holy Cross Crusaders' varsity basketball team in 1946–47. From the start of the season, coach Doggie Julian chose to play the six freshmen off the bench in a two-team system, so that each player would get some time on the court. As members of the "second team", they would come off the bench nine and a half minutes into the game, where they would relieve the "first team" starters. They would sometimes get to play as much as a third or even half of the game, but even at that Cousy was so disappointed with the lack of playing time that he went to the campus chapel after practice to pray that Julian would give him more of a chance to show off his talents on the court. Early in the season, however, he got into trouble with Julian, who accused him of being a showboater. Even as late as that 1946–47 season basketball was a static game, depending on slow, deliberate player movement and flat-footed shots. Far different was Cousy's up-tempo, streetball-like game, marked by ambidextrous finesse play and notable for behind-the-back dribbling and no-look, behind-the-back and half-court passing. Even so, he had enough playing time in games to score 227 points for the season, finishing with the third-highest total on the team. Led by stars George Kaftan and Joe Mullaney, the Crusaders finished the 1946–47 basketball season 24–3.


title: Bob Cousy

text: On the basis of that record, Holy Cross got into the 1947 NCAA Tournament as the last seed in the then only eight-team tournament. In the first game, they defeated Navy 55–47 in front of a sell-out crowd at Madison Square Garden. Mullaney led the team in scoring with 18 points, thanks to Navy coach Ben Carnevale's decision to have his players back off from Mullaney, who was reputed as being more of a playmaker than a shooter. In the semifinal game, the Crusaders faced CCNY, coached by Nat Holman, one of the game's earliest innovators. Led by Kaftan's 30 points, Holy Cross easily defeated the Beavers 60–45. In the championship game, the Crusaders faced Oklahoma, coached by Bruce Drake, in another sold-out game at Madison Square Garden. Kaftan followed up his 30-point semifinal heroics with a mere 18 points in the title game, which was far more than enough for the team to defeat the Sooners 58–47. Cousy played poorly, however, scoring only four points on 2-for-13 shots. Holy Cross became the first New England college to win the NCAA tournament. On their arrival back in Worcester, the team was given a hero's welcome by about 10,000 cheering fans who met their train at Union Station.


title: Bob Cousy

text: The following season Julian limited Cousy's playing time, to the point that the frustrated sophomore contemplated transferring out of Holy Cross. Cousy wrote a letter to coach Joe Lapchick of St. John's University in New York, informing him that he was considering a transfer there. Lapchick wrote back to Cousy that he considered Julian "one of the finest basketball coaches in America" and that he believed Julian had no bad intentions in restricting his playing time. He told Cousy that Julian would use him more often during his later years with the team. Lapchick alerted Cousy that transferring was a very risky move: according to NCAA rules, the player would be required to sit out a year before becoming eligible to play for the school to which he transferred.


title: Bob Cousy

text: During Cousy's senior year of 1949–1950, his fate changed in a match against Loyola of Chicago at Boston Garden. With 5 minutes left and Holy Cross trailing, the crowd started to chant "We want Cousy!" until coach Julian relented. In these few minutes, Cousy scored 11 points and hit a game-winning buzzer-beater coming off a behind-the-back dribble. The performance established him as a team leader, and he then led Holy Cross to 26 straight wins and a Number 4 national ranking. A three-time All-American, Cousy ended his college career in the 1950 NCAA Tournament, when Holy Cross fell to North Carolina State in an opening-round game at Madison Square Garden. CCNY would go on to win the tournament.


title: Bob Cousy

text: Cousy turned pro and made himself available for the 1950 NBA draft. The Boston Celtics had just concluded the 1949–50 NBA season with a poor 22–46 win–loss record and had the first draft pick. It was strongly anticipated that they would draft the highly coveted local favorite Cousy. However, coach Red Auerbach snubbed him for center Charlie Share, saying: "Am I supposed to win, or please the local yokels?" The local press strongly criticized Auerbach, but other scouts were also skeptical about Cousy, viewing him as flamboyant but ineffective. One scout wrote in his report: "The first time he tries that fancy Dan stuff in this league, they'll cram the ball down his throat."


title: Bob Cousy

text: As a result, the Tri-Cities Blackhawks drafted Cousy, but the point guard was unenthusiastic about his new employer. Cousy was trying to establish a driving school in Worcester, Massachusetts and did not want to relocate to the Midwestern triangle of the three small towns of Moline, Rock Island and Davenport. As compensation for having to give up his driving school, Cousy demanded a salary of $10,000 from Blackhawks owner Ben Kerner. When Kerner offered him only $6,000, Cousy refused to report. Cousy was then picked up by the Chicago Stags, but when they folded, league Commissioner Maurice Podoloff declared three Stags available for a dispersal draft: team scoring leader Max Zaslofsky, Andy Phillip and Cousy. Celtics owner Walter A. Brown was one of the three club bosses invited. He later made it clear that he was hoping for Zaslofsky, would have tolerated Phillip, and did not want Cousy. When the Celtics drew Cousy, Brown confessed: "I could have fallen to the floor." Brown reluctantly gave him a $9,000 salary.


title: Bob Cousy

text: It was not long before both Auerbach and Brown changed their minds. With averages of 15.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists a game, Cousy received the first of his 13 consecutive NBA All-Star selections and led a Celtics team with future Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers Ed Macauley and Bones McKinney to a 39–30 record in the 1950–51 NBA season. However, in the 1951 NBA Playoffs, the Celtics were beaten by the New York Knicks. With future Hall-of-Fame guard Bill Sharman on board the next season, Cousy averaged 21.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game en route to his first All-NBA First Team nomination. Nonetheless, the Celtics lost to the Knicks in the 1952 NBA Playoffs.


title: Bob Cousy

text: In the following season, Cousy made further progress. Averaging 7.7 assists per game, he won the first of his eight consecutive assists titles. These numbers were made despite the fact that the NBA had not yet introduced the shot clock, making the game static and putting prolific assist givers at a disadvantage. Powered by Auerbach's quick fastbreak-dominated tactics, the Celtics won 46 games and beat the Syracuse Nationals 2–0 in the 1953 NBA Playoffs. Game 2 ended 111–105 in a 4-overtime thriller, in which Cousy had a much-lauded game. Despite having an injured leg, he scored 25 points after four quarters, scored 6 of his team's 9 points in the first overtime, hit a clutch free throw in the last seconds, and scored all 4 of Boston's points in the second overtime. He scored 8 more points in the third overtime, among them a 25-ft. buzzer beater. In the fourth overtime, he scored 9 of Boston's 12 points. Cousy played 66 minutes, and scored 50 points after making a still-standing record of 30 free throws in 32 attempts. This game is regarded by the NBA as one of the finest scoring feats ever, in line with Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game. However, for the third time in a row, the Knicks beat Boston in the next round.


title: Bob Cousy

text: In the next three years, Cousy firmly established himself as one of the league's best point guards. Leading the league in assists all 3 seasons, and averaging 20 points and 7 rebounds, the versatile Cousy earned himself three more All-NBA First Team and All-Star honors, and was also Most Valuable Player of the 1954 NBA All-Star Game. In terms of playing style, Cousy introduced an array of visually attractive street basketball moves, described by the NBA as a mix of ambidextrous, behind-the-back dribbling and "no-look passes, behind-the-back feeds or half-court fastbreak launches". Cousy's modus operandi contrasted with the rest of the NBA, which was dominated by muscular low post scorers and deliberate set shooters. Soon, he was called "Houdini of the Hardwood" after the magician Harry Houdini. Cousy's crowd-pleasing and effective play drew the crowd into the Boston Garden and also won over coach Auerbach, who no longer saw him as a liability, but as an essential building block for the future.


title: Bob Cousy

text: The Celtics eventually added two talented forwards, future Hall-of-Famer Frank Ramsey and defensive specialist Jim Loscutoff. Along with Celtics colleague Bob Brannum, Loscutoff also became Cousy's unofficial bodyguard, retaliating against opposing players who would try to hurt him. The Celtics were unable to make their mark in the 1954 NBA Playoffs, 1955 NBA Playoffs, and 1956 NBA Playoffs, where they lost three times in a row against the Nationals. Cousy attributed the shortcomings to fatigue, stating: "We would get tired in the end and could not get the ball". As a result, Auerbach sought a defensive center who could get easy rebounds, initiate fast breaks and close out games.


title: Bob Cousy

text: Before the 1956–57 NBA season, Auerbach drafted two future Hall-of-Famers: forward Tom Heinsohn, and defensive center Bill Russell. Powered by these new players, the Celtics went 44–28 in the regular season, and Cousy averaged 20.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and a league-leading 7.5 assists, earning his first NBA Most Valuable Player Award; he also won his second NBA All-Star Game MVP award. The Celtics reached the 1957 NBA Finals, and powered by Cousy on offense and rugged center Russell on defense, they beat the Hawks 4–3, who were noted for future Hall-of-Fame power forward Bob Pettit and former teammates Macauley and Hagan. Cousy finally won his first title.


title: Bob Cousy

text: In the 1957–58 NBA season, Cousy had yet another highly productive year, with his 20.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game leading to nominations into the All-NBA First Team and the All-Star team. He again led the NBA in assists. The Celtics reached the 1958 NBA Finals against the Hawks, but when Russell succumbed to a foot injury in Game 3, the Celtics faded and bowed out four games to two. This was the last losing NBA playoff series in which Cousy would play.


title: Bob Cousy

text: In the following 1958–59 NBA season, the Celtics got revenge on their opposition, powered by an inspired Cousy, who averaged 20.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and a league-high 8.6 assists a game, won another assists title and another pair of All-NBA First Team and All-Star team nominations. Late in the season, Cousy reasserted his playmaking dominance by setting an NBA record with 28 assists in a game against the Minneapolis Lakers. While that record was broken 19 years later, Cousy also set a record for 19 assists in a half which has never been broken. The Celtics stormed through the playoffs and, behind Cousy's 51 total assists (still a record for a four-game NBA Finals series), defeated the Minneapolis Lakers in the first 4–0 sweep ever in the 1959 NBA Finals.


title: Bob Cousy

text: In the 1959–60 NBA season, Cousy was again productive, his 19.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game earning him his eighth consecutive assists title and another joint All-NBA First Team and All-Star team nomination. Again, the Celtics defeated all opposition and won the 1960 NBA Finals 4–3 against the Hawks. A year later, the 32-year-old Cousy scored 18.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game, winning another pair of All-NBA First Team and All-Star nominations, but failing to win the assists crown after eight consecutive seasons. However, the Celtics won the 1961 NBA Finals after convincingly beating the Hawks 4–1.


title: Bob Cousy

text: In the 1961–62 NBA season, the aging Cousy slowly began to fade statistically, averaging 15.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 7.8 assists, and was voted into the All-NBA Second Team after ten consecutive First Team nominations. Still, he enjoyed a satisfying postseason, winning the 1962 NBA Finals after 4–3 battles against two upcoming teams, the Philadelphia Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. The Finals series against the Lakers was especially dramatic, because Lakers guard Frank Selvy failed to make a last-second buzzer beater in Game 7 which would have won the title. Finally, in the 1962–63 NBA season, the last of his career, Cousy averaged 13.2 points, 2.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists, and collected one last All-Star and All-NBA Second Team nomination. In the 1963 NBA Finals, the Celtics again won 4–2 against the Lakers, and Cousy finished his career on a high note: in the fourth quarter of Game 6, Cousy sprained an ankle and had to be helped to the bench. He went back in with Boston up 1. Although he did not score again, he was credited with providing an emotional lift that carried the Celtics to victory, 112–109. The game ended with Cousy throwing the ball into the rafters.


title: Bob Cousy

text: At age 34, Cousy held his retirement ceremony on March 17, 1963, in a packed Boston Garden. The event became known as the Boston Tear Party, when the crowd's response overwhelmed Cousy, left him speechless, and caused his planned 7-minute farewell to go on for 20. Joe Dillon, a water worker from South Boston, Massachusetts, and a devoted Celtics fan, screamed "We love ya, Cooz", breaking the tension and the crowd went into cheers. As a testament to Cousy's legacy, President John F. Kennedy wired to Cousy: "The game bears the indelible stamp of your rare skills and competitive daring, and it will serve as a living reminder of your long and illustrious career so long as it is played."


title: Bob Cousy

text: During the 1969–70 NBA season, the then 41-year-old Cousy, who was also the head coach for the Royals, made a late-season comeback as a player for seven games.


title: Bob Cousy

text: After retiring as a player, Cousy published his autobiography "Basketball Is My Life" in 1963, and in the same year became coach at Boston College. In the 1965 ECAC Holiday Basketball Festival at Madison Square Garden, Providence defeated Boston College 91–86 in the title game, when the Friars were led by Tourney MVP and All-American Jimmy Walker. Providence was coached by Joe Mullaney, who was Cousy's teammate at Holy Cross when the two men were players there in 1947. In his six seasons there, he had a record of 114 wins and 38 losses and was named New England Coach of the Year for 1968 and 1969. Cousy led the Eagles to three NIT appearances, including a berth in the 1969 NIT Championship and two National Collegiate Athletic Association tournaments, including the 1967 Eastern Regional Finals.


title: Bob Cousy

text: Cousy grew bored with college basketball and returned to the NBA as coach of the Cincinnati Royals, team of fellow Hall-of-Fame point guard Oscar Robertson. He later said about this engagement, "I did it for the money. I was made an offer I couldn't refuse." He continued as coach of the team after it moved from Cincinnati to Kansas City/Omaha, but stepped down as the Kings' coach early in the 1973–74 NBA season with a 141–209 record.


title: Bob Cousy

text: In 1954, the NBA had no health benefits, pension plan, minimum salary, and the average player's salary was $8,000 ($82,000 in 2021 dollars) a season. To combat this, Cousy organized the National Basketball Players Association, the first trade union among those in the four major North American professional sports leagues. Cousy served as its first president until 1958.


title: Bob Cousy

text: In his 13-year, 924-game NBA playing career, Cousy finished with 16,960 points, 4,786 rebounds and 6,955 assists, translating to averages of 18.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game. He was regarded as the first great point guard of the NBA, winning eight of the first 11 assist titles in the league, all of them en bloc, and had a highly successful career, winning six NBA titles, one MVP award, 13 All-Star and 12 All-NBA First and Second Team call-ups and two All-Star MVP awards. With his eye-catching dribbling and unorthodox passing, Cousy popularized modern guard play and raised the profile of the Boston Celtics and the entire NBA. His fast-paced playing style was later emulated by the likes of Pete Maravich and Magic Johnson.


title: Bob Cousy

text: In recognition of his feats, Cousy was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1971 and in 1963, the Celtics retired his uniform number, 14, the first of two numbers retired (the other was Ed Macauley’s number 22). Celtics owner Walter Brown said: "The Celtics wouldn't be here without him [Cousy]. He made basketball in this town. If he had played in New York he would have been the biggest thing since [New York Yankees baseball legend] Babe Ruth. I think he is anyway." In addition, on May 11, 2006, ESPN.com rated Cousy as the fifth-greatest point guard of all time, lauding him as "ahead of his time with his ballhandling and passing skills" and pointing out he is one of only seven point guards ever to win an NBA Most Valuable Player award.


title: Bob Cousy

text: On November 16, 2008, Cousy's college uniform number, 17, was hoisted to the Hart Center rafters. During halftime of a game between the Holy Cross Crusaders and St. Joseph's Hawks, the uniform numbers of Cousy, George Kaftan, Togo Palazzi, and Tommy Heinsohn became the first to hang from the gymnasium's ceiling.


title: Bob Cousy

text: On July 1, 2019, Cousy advised "The Boston Globe" that he had received an official letter notifying him that he would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump on August 22, 2019. He received the medal at a ceremony in the Oval Office. A statue of Cousy was installed outside the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 2021.


title: Bob Cousy

text: Cousy has been the recipient of several basketball awards being named after him. The Bob Cousy Award has been presented annually since 2004 by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate point guard. In 2022, the NBA renamed its Eastern Conference championship trophy in honor of Cousy.


title: Bob Cousy

text: Despite his unfamiliarity with the sport, Cousy was appointed Commissioner of the American Soccer League on December 19, 1974. His most notable act as commissioner was to declare the New York Apollo and Boston Astros co‐champions after both teams played 67 minutes of extra time without resolution in the second and deciding leg of the league's championship series on September 20, 1975. He was relieved of his duties on December 1, 1979. Pennsylvania Stoners club owner Willie Ehrlich explained the dismissal by stating, "After five years as commissioner, Cousy still goes around telling people he knows nothing about soccer."


title: Bob Cousy

text: Cousy married his college sweetheart, Missie Ritterbusch, in December 1950, six months after he graduated from Holy Cross. They lived in Worcester, Massachusetts, and had two daughters. His wife died on September 20, 2013, after suffering from dementia for several years.


title: Bob Cousy

text: Cousy was well-known, both on and off the court, for his public stance against racism, a result of his upbringing in a multicultural environment. In 1950, the Celtics played a game in the then-segregated city of Charlotte, North Carolina, and teammate Chuck Cooper—the first African-American in NBA history to be drafted—would have been denied a hotel room. Instead of taking the hotel room, Cousy insisted on travelling with Cooper on an uncomfortable overnight train. He described their visit to a segregated men's toilet—Cooper was prohibited from using the clean "for whites" bathroom and had to use the shabby "for colored" facility—as one of the most shameful experiences of his life. He also sympathized with the plight of black Celtics star Bill Russell, who was frequently a victim of racism.


title: Bob Cousy

text: He was close to his Celtics mentor, head coach Red Auerbach, and was one of the few permitted to call him "Arnold", his given name, instead of his nickname "Red".


title: Bob Cousy

text: He was a color analyst on Celtics telecasts during the 1980s." In addition, he had a role in the 1994 basketball film "Blue Chips", in which he played a college athletic director.


title: Bob Cousy

text: He is currently a marketing consultant for the Celtics, and occasionally makes broadcast appearances with Mike Gorman (and with ex-Celtic teammate Tom Heinsohn prior to Heinsohn's death on November 9, 2020).


title: Dina Shihabi

text: Shihabi was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and was raised in Saudi Arabia, Beirut, and Dubai. Her family is of Arab and European origin. She described her multi-ethnic background as such: "I consider myself Arab European because my father Ali Shihabi is half-Saudi, half-Norwegian, and my mom Nadia is half-Palestinian, half-German and Haitian, but raised in France." She stated that she enjoyed watching films from an early age. Shihabi's father is a commentator on Saudi politics and former banker. He was the chairman of Saudi Hollandi Bank.


title: Dina Shihabi

text: At age 11 she began taking dance lessons from Sharmila Kamte, a renowned dance teacher at the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre Chaloub Studio, known as the "dancing queen" of the United Arab Emirates. She became a member of her modern professional dance team.


title: Dina Shihabi

text: In Dubai she attended Al Mawakeb School, Emirates International School, and Dubai American Academy. Shihabi performed in numerous school plays, and was encouraged by her teacher, Nancy Mock, to pursue an acting career.


title: Dina Shihabi

text: At age 18, Shihabi moved to New York City in 2007 and began pursuing a career in acting; this became a full-time profession for her in 2010. She attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts for two years. In 2011, she was accepted at both Juilliard and The graduate Acting Program at NYU Tisch School for the Arts. Although Shihabi did not complete a 4-year bachelor's degree (she attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, an Acting Conservatory from 2008 to 2010), NYU waived the requirement of a bachelor's degree, and she graduated with her MFA in 2014. She is the first Middle East-born woman to be accepted to both the Juilliard and NYU Graduate Acting programs, as well as the first Saudi Arabian woman accepted to these institutions.


title: Dina Shihabi

text: In February 2019, it was announced that Shihabi was cast in the main role of Dig 301 for the second season of Netflix's science-fiction series, "Altered Carbon".


title: Anwar al-Awlaki

text: Anwar Nasser al-Awlaki (also spelled al-Aulaqi, al-Awlaqi; ; April 21 or 22, 1971 – September 30, 2011) was an American imam who was killed in 2011 in Yemen by a U.S. government drone strike ordered by President Barack Obama. Al-Awlaki became the first U.S. citizen to be targeted and killed by a drone strike from the U.S. government. US government officials argued that Awlaki was a key organizer for the Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda, and in June 2014, a previously classified memorandum issued by the U.S. Department of Justice was released, justifying al-Awlaki's death as a lawful act of war. Civil liberties advocates have described the incident as "an extrajudicial execution" that breached al-Awlaki's constitutional right to due process, including a trial.


title: Anwar al-Awlaki

text: Al-Awlaki was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in 1971 to parents from Yemen. Growing up partially in the United States and partially in Yemen, he attended various universities across the United States in the 1990s and early 2000s, while also working as an imam, despite having no religious qualifications and almost no religious education. Al-Awlaki returned to Yemen in early 2004 and became a university lecturer after a brief stint as a public speaker in the United Kingdom. He was detained by Yemeni authorities in 2006, where he spent 18 months in prison before being released without facing trial. Following his release, Al-Awlaki's message started to become overtly supportive of violence, as he condemned the U.S. government’s foreign policy towards Muslims. He was linked to Nidal Hasan, the convicted perpetrator of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who attempted to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253. Additionally, three of the future September 11 attacks hijackers separately attended his sermons in the 1990s and early 2001.


title: Anwar al-Awlaki

text: The Yemeni government tried him "in absentia" in November 2010, for plotting to kill foreigners and being a member of al-Qaeda. A Yemeni judge ordered that he be captured "dead or alive". U.S. officials said that in 2009, al-Awlaki was promoted to the rank of "regional commander" within al-Qaeda, although they described his role as more "inspirational" than "operational." He repeatedly called for "jihad" against the United States. In April 2010, al-Awlaki was placed on a CIA kill list by President Barack Obama due to his alleged terrorist activities. Al-Awlaki's father and civil rights groups challenged the order in court. Al-Awlaki was believed to be in hiding in southeast Yemen in the last years of his life. The U.S. deployed unmanned aircraft (drones) in Yemen to search for and kill him, firing at and failing to kill him at least once; he was successfully killed on September 30, 2011. Two weeks later, al-Awlaki's 16-year-old son, Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen who was born in Denver, Colorado, was also killed by a CIA-led drone strike in Yemen. His daughter, 8-year old Nawar al-Awlaki, was killed during a raid against Al Qaeda ordered by President Donald Trump in 2017. "The New York Times" wrote in 2015 that al-Awlaki's public statements and videos have been more influential in inspiring acts of Islamic terrorism in the wake of his killing than before his death.


title: Anwar al-Awlaki

text: Al-Awlaki was born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, US in 1971 to parents from Yemen, while his father, Nasser al-Awlaki, was doing graduate work at U.S. universities. His father was a Fulbright Scholar who earned a master's degree in agricultural economics at New Mexico State University in 1971, received a doctorate at the University of Nebraska, and worked at the University of Minnesota from 1975 to 1977. Nasser al-Awlaki served as Agriculture Minister in Ali Abdullah Saleh's government. He was also President of Sana'a University. Yemen's prime minister from 2007 to 2011, Ali Mohammed Mujur, was a relative.


title: Anwar al-Awlaki

text: The family returned to Yemen in 1978, when al-Awlaki was seven years old. He lived there for 11 years, and studied at Azal Modern School.


title: Anwar al-Awlaki

text: In 1991, al-Awlaki returned to the U.S. to attend college. He earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University (1994), where he was president of the Muslim Student Association.


title: Anwar al-Awlaki

text: In 1993, while still a college student in Colorado State's civil engineering program, al-Awlaki visited Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Soviet occupation. He spent some time training with the "mujahideen" who had fought the Soviets. He was depressed by the country's poverty and hunger, and "wouldn't have gone with al-Qaeda," according to friends from Colorado State, who said he was profoundly affected by the trip. Mullah Mohammed Omar did not form the Taliban until 1994. When Al-Awlaki returned to campus, he showed increased interest in religion and politics. Al-Awlaki studied Education Leadership at San Diego State University, but did not complete his degree. He worked on a doctorate in Human Resource Development at The George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development from January to December 2001.


title: Anwar al-Awlaki

text: In 1994, al-Awlaki married a cousin from Yemen, and began service as a part-time imam of the Denver Islamic Society. In 1996, he was chastised by an elder for encouraging a Saudi student to fight in Chechnya against the Russians. He left Denver soon after, moving to San Diego.


title: Anwar al-Awlaki

text: From 1996 to 2000, al-Awlaki was imam of the Masjid Ar-Ribat al-Islami mosque in San Diego, California, where he had a following of 200–300 people. U.S. officials later alleged that Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar, hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77, attended his sermons and personally met him during this period, although Al-Awlaki told authorities their conversations were trivial in nature. Hazmi later lived in Northern Virginia and attended al-Awlaki's mosque there. The "9/11 Commission Report" said that the hijackers "reportedly respected [al-Awlaki] as a religious figure". While in San Diego, al-Awlaki volunteered with youth organizations, fished, discussed his travels with friends, and created a popular and lucrative series of recorded lectures.


title: Anwar al-Awlaki

text: In August 1996 and in April 1997, al-Awlaki was arrested in San Diego and charged with soliciting prostitutes. The first time, in 1996, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was fined $400 and required to attend informational sessions about AIDS. The second time, in 1997, he pleaded guilty and was fined $240, ordered to perform 12 days of community service, and received three years' probation. From November 2001 to January 2002 the FBI observed him visiting a number of prostitutes, and interviewed them, establishing that he had paid for sex acts. No prosecution was brought.


title: Anwar al-Awlaki

text: In 1998 and 1999, he served as vice-president for the Charitable Society for Social Welfare. Although the FBI investigated al-Awlaki from June 1999 through March 2000 for possible links to Hamas, the Bin Laden contact Ziyad Khaleel, and a visit by an associate of Omar Abdel Rahman, it did not find sufficient evidence for a criminal prosecution. In 2004, the FBI described this group as a "front organization to funnel money to terrorists". Al-Awlaki told reporters that he resigned from leading the San Diego mosque "after an uneventful four years," and took a brief sabbatical, traveling overseas to various countries.


title: Anwar al-Awlaki

text: Al-Awlaki decided to pursue his PhD and was accepted at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and was soon recruited to be the imam of the nearby suburban Dar al-Hijrah mosque in 2000. One of the mosque's board members who hired Al-Awlaki stated he was convinced that al-Awlaki had no inclinations or activities to do with terrorism. The new imam, who was described as alluring and charming at this time, began to draw young people to Dar Al-Hijrah while connecting with the sophisticated Muslim community of Northern Virginia. His proficiency as a public speaker and command of the English language helped him attract followers who did not speak Arabic. "He was the magic bullet", according to the mosque spokesman Johari Abdul-Malik. "He had everything all in a box." "He had an allure. He was charming." Al-Awlaki was considered a moderate during his time at Dar Al-Hijrah, publicly condemned the September 11 attacks and Al-Qaeda, was even invited to speak at the United States Department of Defense and became the first imam to conduct a prayer service for the Congressional Muslim Staffer Association at the U.S. Capitol. He led academic discussions frequented by FBI Director of Counter-Intelligence for the Middle East Gordon M. Snow. Al-Awlaki also served as the Muslim chaplain at George Washington University. Soon after the 9/11 attacks, al-Awlaki was sought in Washington, D.C., by the media to answer questions about Islam, its rituals, and its relation to the attacks. He was interviewed by "National Geographic", "The New York Times", and other media. Al-Awlaki condemned the attacks. According to an NPR report in 2010, in 2001 al-Awlaki appeared to be a moderate who could "bridge the gap between the United States and the worldwide community of Muslims." "The New York Times" said at the time that he was "held up as a new generation of Muslim leader capable of merging East and West." In 2010, Fox News and the "New York Daily News" reported that some months after the 9/11 attacks, a Pentagon employee invited al-Awlaki to a luncheon in the Secretary's Office of General Counsel. The U.S. Secretary of the Army had suggested that a moderate Muslim be invited to give a talk. In 2002, al-Awlaki was the first imam to conduct a prayer service for the Congressional Muslim Staffer Association at the U.S. Capitol.


title: Anwar al-Awlaki

text: Al-Awlaki appeared on law enforcement's radars when federal investigators discovered two of the alleged 9/11 hijackers had attended the same mosque in San Diego during the same time Al-Awlaki served as imam, as well as Dar Al-Hijrah (along with a third alleged hijacker). When police investigating the 9/11 attacks raided the Hamburg apartment of Ramzi bin al-Shibh, they found the telephone number of al-Awlaki among bin al-Shibh's personal contacts. Six days after the 9/11 attacks, al-Awlaki suggested in writing on the "IslamOnline.net" website that Israeli intelligence agents might have been responsible for the attacks, and that the FBI "went into the roster of the airplanes, and whoever has a Muslim or Arab name became the hijacker by default". The FBI interviewed al-Awlaki four times in the eight days following the 9/11 attacks. FBI agents conducted repeated interviews and placed the imam under surveillance. Although some law enforcement and public officials have been outspoken about their suspicions of Al-Awlaki's role in the 9/11 plot, no solid evidence emerged linking him to the plot. Al-Awlaki resigned from Dar Al-Hijrah in early 2002 due to post-9/11 media attention that distracted the imam from his duties, according to the mosque's outreach director.


title: Anwar al-Awlaki

text: Later in 2002, al-Awlaki posted an essay in Arabic on the "Islam Today" website titled "Why Muslims Love Death", lauding the fervor of Palestinian suicide bombers. He expressed a similar opinion in a speech at a London mosque later that year. By July 2002, al-Awlaki was under investigation in the United States for having received money from the subject of a U.S. Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation. His name was added to the list of terrorism suspects.


title: Anwar al-Awlaki

text: In June 2002, a Denver federal judge signed an arrest warrant for al-Awlaki for passport fraud. On October 9, the Denver U.S. Attorney's Office filed a motion to dismiss the complaint and vacate the arrest warrant. Prosecutors believed that they lacked sufficient evidence of a crime, according to U.S. Attorney Dave Gaouette, who authorized its withdrawal. Al-Awlaki had listed Yemen rather than the United States as his place of birth on his 1990 application for a U.S. Social Security number, soon after arriving in the US. Al-Awlaki used this documentation to obtain a passport in 1993. He later corrected his place of birth to Las Cruces, New Mexico. "The bizarre thing is if you put Yemen down (on the application), it would be harder to get a Social Security number than to say you are a native-born citizen of Las Cruces", Gaouette said.


title: Anwar al-Awlaki

text: Prosecutors could not charge him in October 2002, when he returned from a trip abroad, because a 10-year statute of limitations on lying to the Social Security Administration had expired. According to a 2012 investigative report by Fox News, the arrest warrant for passport fraud was still in effect on the morning of October 10, 2002, when FBI Agent Wade Ammerman ordered al-Awlaki's release. U.S. Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA) and several congressional committees urged FBI Director Robert Mueller to provide an explanation about the bureau's interactions with al-Awlaki, including why he was released from federal custody when there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest. The motion for rescinding the arrest warrant was approved by a magistrate judge on October 10 and filed on October 11.