Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Joanne Chesimard, a member of the Black Liberation Army convicted in the 1973 murder of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster, died Thursday at age 78.
She became one of the state’s most infamous criminals after Foerster’s murder and her subsequent escape to Cuba. New Jersey officials have sought to extradite Chesimard from Cuba for years; she topped the New Jersey State Police’s Most Wanted List until her death.
The Cuban ministry said she died in Havana of health complications and old age.
After graduating from college, she began using the name Assata Shakur. She and two other members of the Black Liberation Army were stopped by a pair of state troopers on the Turnpike on May 2, 1973. Chesimard was the subject of a multi-state manhunt at the time. Foerster and James Costan, another member of the BLA, died in the ensuing gunfight. State Trooper James Harper was also wounded.
Chesimard was convicted of murder and seven other felonies stemming from the shootout and sentenced to life in prison in 1977. She was also shot in the gunfight; she insisted she was innocent of the murder and had her arms in the air when she was shot. She escaped from prison in 1979 with the help of the BLA and the May 19 Communist Organization. She made her way to Cuba, where she was granted political asylum in 1984.
The FBI and the New Jersey attorney general each offered a $1 million reward for her capture.
Gov. Phil Murphy and New Jersey State Police Superintendent Colonel Patrick Callahan released a statement on Friday afternoon expressing frustration that Chesimard was not recaptured during her life.
“Earlier this morning, we spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who informed us that the government of Cuba has announced the death of U.S. fugitive Joanne Chesimard, who viciously murdered New Jersey State Trooper and Vietnam War veteran Werner Foerster,” they said. “For years, we have worked with the State Department to bring Chesimard back to New Jersey, so she could face justice for the cold-blooded murder of an American hero. Sadly, it appears she has passed without being held fully accountable for her heinous crimes.”
They also mourned Foerster and said they would oppose any potential efforts to bring her remains back to the United States.
“We mourn Trooper Foerster’s loss every day, and we extend our deepest sympathies to his widow, Rosie, their son, Eric, and the entire New Jersey State Police family,” they said. “Unlike his killer, Trooper Foerster never had a chance to live out his days in peace. But we remain fully committed to honoring his memory and sacrifice. We will vigorously oppose any attempt to repatriate Chesimard’s remains to the United States.”
She was one of two activists convicted of the murder of Foerster; the other, Sundiata Acoli, was released on parole in 2022 after an appellate panel found the now-elderly man is not a threat.
Assemblyman Michael Inganamort (R-Chester), the sponsor of a pending resolution that would have urged Cuba to extradite Chesimard to the U.S., said justice was not served for Foerster.
“It will forever remain a tragedy that justice was never served in the senseless murder of Trooper Foerster,” he said. “Joanne Chesimard was a fugitive who will never be held accountable in the United States, but New Jersey can and will always remember Trooper Foerster for his duty and sacrifice. May his memory be a blessing.”
Wayne Blanchard, the president of the State Troopers Fraternal Association, said Foerster’s family cannot obtain closure in his murder with the passing of Chesimard.
“The fact of the matter remains that Chesimard, one of the first domestic terrorists in our nation, and a fugitive for over forty years, was never held fully accountable for her heinous crimes on the night of May 2, 1973,” Blanchard said. “Chesimard enjoyed additional years of her life while Trooper Foerster’s life was snuffed out and he and his wife, Rosie, never had the benefit of experiencing the joys of raising a family, and other milestones in life in our great State, which Trooper Foerster gave his life protecting.”
State Sen. Vin Gopal (D-Long Branch) and Assemblywomen Margie Donlon (Ocean Twp) and Luanne Peterpaul (D-Long Branch) of the 11th legislative district mourned Foerster.
“Unlike his killer, Trooper Foerster was not able to live his days out. We support Governor Murphy and Col. Pat Callahan in opposing any attempts to repatriate Chesimard’s remains to the United States,” they said. “We send our thoughts today to the Foerster family as well as the men and women of the New Jersey State Police for what they are going through.”
This is a developing story. This article was updated with comments from state officials.
