Joanne Chesimard, originally from New York City, was a member of the Black Liberation Army in the early 1970s. On May 2, 1973, after being wanted in connection to several crimes, including bank robbery, Chesimard and two accomplices were stopped on the New Jersey Turnpike by two state troopers. The trio opened fire on the troopers, killing one and wounding one. Chesimard fled the scene, but was soon apprehended.
In 1977, she was sentenced to life in prison. She escaped on Nov. 2, 1979 and lived underground before escaping to Cuba in 1984, and she was granted asylum by Fidel Castro. She is believed to still be in Cuba. Upon the normalizing of relations with Cuba in 2014, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie requested that President Obama demand for Chesimard’s release, but Cuba indicated they were unlikely to turn her over.
Chesimard was the first woman to ever be on the FBI’s list.