In the late summer of 1971, John Monteleone, a 41-year-old male, was working as an Industrial Training Supervisor at the Attica Correctional Facility in Attica, New York. His life, however, was tragically cut short on September 13, 1971, during one of the most violent prison riots in American history.
The uprising began on September 9, 1971, when inmates, protesting inhumane conditions, seized control of the prison and took 42 staff members, including Monteleone, hostage.
For four tense days, negotiations between the inmates and state officials were held. The inmates had a list of demands for better living conditions and political rights.
The standoff came to a bloody end on September 13th when Governor Nelson Rockefeller ordered state police to retake the prison by force. In the ensuing assault, law enforcement officers unleashed a hail of gunfire, killing 29 inmates and 10 of the hostages, including John Monteleone.
In the immediate aftermath, authorities falsely claimed that the inmates had killed the hostages. However, subsequent autopsies revealed that all 10 hostages had died from police gunfire. Investigations and recently unearthed documents have shed light on the chaotic and violent nature of the prison retaking. A historian's research even identified specific state troopers and prison guards believed to have fatally shot hostages. One report indicated that a hostage was killed by a. 44 Magnum rifle that was later traced back to a prison guard. It has been reported that 'Numerous documents from the Attica investigation indicated that everyone knew exactly who had killed John Monteleone - everyone but John Monteleone's family.'
Despite evidence suggesting that law enforcement was responsible for the deaths of the hostages, there was a profound lack of accountability. A special prosecutor's attempts to bring murder or manslaughter charges against several state troopers were ultimately unsuccessful. In the end, only one state trooper was indicted on a charge of reckless endangerment for his role in the entire incident. There were no arrests or murder charges brought specifically in the death of John Monteleone.
The families of the slain employees, including the Monteleone family, were left to grapple with their loss and the unsettling truth of how their loved ones died. Years of legal battles ensued. In 2005, the state of New York reached a $12 million settlement with the 'Forgotten Victims of Attica,' a group representing the surviving state employees and the families of those who were killed. While the settlement provided some financial compensation, for many, it could not replace the lives lost or erase the painful memory of the Attica prison riot and its tragic conclusion.
