California IN BRIEF : OAKLAND : Self-Defense Claim in Newton Slaying

A convicted robber on trial in the slaying of Huey Newton shot the Black Panther Party co-founder in self-defense, his defense lawyer said. “While Newton was a charismatic leader to some people in the community, he also was an incredibly violent man,” attorney Al Wagner said. The prosecution claims that Tyrone Robinson, 27, shot Newton two years ago to bolster his standing in the Black Guerrilla Family prison gang. Robinson, who told police that Newton had robbed him two months earlier of 14 cocaine rocks and $160 in cash, said Newton pulled a gun and tried to rob him again. Tests showed Newton was legally drunk and had cocaine in his system. Newton and Bobby Seale began the Black Panthers in the 1960s against a backdrop of alleged police brutality. In 1967, Newton was convicted of manslaughter in the death of a police officer. He had served 22 months of a 2-to-15-year sentence when an appeals court ordered a new trial. That and a third trial ended in hung juries.