Donald DeFreeze
Encyclopedia
Donald David DeFreeze also known as Cinque Mtume, was the leader of the American
guerilla group Symbionese Liberation Army
, a group operating in the mid-1970s, under the nom de guerre "Field Marshal Cinque."
to Louis and Mary DeFreeze. He began his criminal career at age 14, after he ran away from home and became a street gang member in Buffalo, New York
before moving to California
. In 1972, he was serving a sentence in Soledad Prison
in Soledad, California
for armed robbery. Those who remember him in prison considered him an unimpressive criminal. He was first arrested for stealing $10 from a prostitute and framed his friend as having committed the crime.
While incarcerated at Soledad Prison, DeFreeze met with some far-left radicals who were working as volunteers in the prison and was converted to their political ideas. After being transferred to Vacaville Prison
, he escaped on March 5, 1973. DeFreeze adopted the name "Field Marshal Cinque", having taken this name from Joseph Cinqué
, the reported leader of the slave rebellion which took over the Spanish
slave ship
Amistad
in 1839. He adopted the surname "Mtume" from the Swahili word for "prophet".
, founded the Symbionese Liberation Army
and soon recruited members for his group. The group perpetrated a number of crimes, the most infamous being the murder of Oakland Schools Superintendent Marcus Foster
and the abduction of newspaper heiress Patty Hearst
. DeFreeze is primarily suspected as having murdered Foster and shooting Assistant Superintendent Robert Blackburn.
On May 17, 1974, the Los Angeles Police Department
surrounded a house where DeFreeze and five other SLA members were staying. The stand-off quickly escalated into all out battle with both sides trading fire using automatic weapons. The house caught fire during the shootout (possibly from a smoke grenade). DeFreeze and others crawled through a hole in the floor into a crawlspace beneath the house. Apparently burning alive, DeFreeze committed suicide by shooting himself in the right side of his head. His corpse was so severely burned that his family did not initially believe the remains belonged to DeFreeze.
DeFreeze is buried in Highland Park Cemetery in Shaker Heights, Ohio
.
in his book Danse Macabre
he was one of the sources of the recurrent character Randall Flagg
:
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
guerilla group Symbionese Liberation Army
Symbionese Liberation Army
The Symbionese Liberation Army was an American self-styled left-wing urban militant group active between 1973 and 1975 that considered itself a revolutionary vanguard army...
, a group operating in the mid-1970s, under the nom de guerre "Field Marshal Cinque."
Early life
DeFreeze was born in Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
to Louis and Mary DeFreeze. He began his criminal career at age 14, after he ran away from home and became a street gang member in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
before moving to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. In 1972, he was serving a sentence in Soledad Prison
Correctional Training Facility
Correctional Training Facility is a state prison located on U.S. Highway 101, north of Soledad, California. Randy Grounds is the current Warden of the prison.-Facilities:...
in Soledad, California
Soledad, California
Soledad, meaning "solitude" and "loneliness" in Spanish, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. Soledad is located southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 190 feet...
for armed robbery. Those who remember him in prison considered him an unimpressive criminal. He was first arrested for stealing $10 from a prostitute and framed his friend as having committed the crime.
While incarcerated at Soledad Prison, DeFreeze met with some far-left radicals who were working as volunteers in the prison and was converted to their political ideas. After being transferred to Vacaville Prison
Vacaville Prison
Two prisons are located in Vacaville, California, USA:* California Medical Facility * California State Prison, SolanoThese two prisons are located together at the base of several hills on the outskirts of Vacaville. These prisons are also located fairly close to Travis Air Force Base.See also: List...
, he escaped on March 5, 1973. DeFreeze adopted the name "Field Marshal Cinque", having taken this name from Joseph Cinqué
Joseph Cinqué
Sengbe Pieh , later known as Joseph Cinqué, was a West African man of the Mende people and was the most prominent defendant in the Amistad case, in which it was found that he and 51 others had been victims of the illegal Atlantic slave trade.-Biography:Cinqué was born c...
, the reported leader of the slave rebellion which took over the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
slave ship
Slave ship
Slave ships were large cargo ships specially converted for the purpose of transporting slaves, especially newly purchased African slaves to Americas....
Amistad
La Amistad
La Amistad was a ship notable as the scene of a revolt by African captives being transported from Havana to Puerto Principe, Cuba. It was a 19th-century two-masted schooner built in Spain and owned by a Spaniard living in Cuba...
in 1839. He adopted the surname "Mtume" from the Swahili word for "prophet".
SLA
DeFreeze, along with Patricia SoltysikPatricia Soltysik
Patricia "Mizmoon" Monique Soltysik was one of the founders of the Symbionese Liberation Army.-Early life:She was the daughter of a pharmacist, the third of seven children, the oldest of five girls...
, founded the Symbionese Liberation Army
Symbionese Liberation Army
The Symbionese Liberation Army was an American self-styled left-wing urban militant group active between 1973 and 1975 that considered itself a revolutionary vanguard army...
and soon recruited members for his group. The group perpetrated a number of crimes, the most infamous being the murder of Oakland Schools Superintendent Marcus Foster
Marcus Foster
Marcus Albert Foster was a respected African-American educator who gained a national reputation for educational excellence while serving as principal of Simon Gratz High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as Associate Superintendent of Schools in Philadelphia, and as the first black...
and the abduction of newspaper heiress Patty Hearst
Patty Hearst
Patricia Campbell Hearst , now known as Patricia Campbell Hearst Shaw, is an American newspaper heiress, socialite, actress, kidnap victim, and convicted bank robber....
. DeFreeze is primarily suspected as having murdered Foster and shooting Assistant Superintendent Robert Blackburn.
On May 17, 1974, the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
surrounded a house where DeFreeze and five other SLA members were staying. The stand-off quickly escalated into all out battle with both sides trading fire using automatic weapons. The house caught fire during the shootout (possibly from a smoke grenade). DeFreeze and others crawled through a hole in the floor into a crawlspace beneath the house. Apparently burning alive, DeFreeze committed suicide by shooting himself in the right side of his head. His corpse was so severely burned that his family did not initially believe the remains belonged to DeFreeze.
DeFreeze is buried in Highland Park Cemetery in Shaker Heights, Ohio
Shaker Heights, Ohio
Shaker Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population was 28,448. It is an inner-ring streetcar suburb of Cleveland that abuts the city on its eastern side.-Topography:Shaker Heights is located at...
.
Cultural references
As stated by Stephen KingStephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
in his book Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre (book)
Danse Macabre is a non-fiction book by Stephen King, about horror fiction in print, radio, film and comics, and the genre's influence on United States popular culture...
he was one of the sources of the recurrent character Randall Flagg
Randall Flagg
Randall Flagg is a fictional character created by Stephen King. Flagg has appeared in seven novels by King, sometimes as the main antagonist and others in a brief cameo. He often appears under different names; most are abbreviated by the initials R.F. There are exceptions to this rule; in The Dark...
:
I sat there for another fifteen minutes or so, listening to the Eagles on my little cassette player, and then I wrote: Donald DeFreeze is a dark man. I did not mean that DeFreeze was black; it had suddenly occurred to me that, in the photos taken during the bank robbery in which Patty Hearst participated, you could barely see DeFreeze's face.
The Stand
He was wearing a big badass hat, and what he looked like was mostly guesswork. I wrote, 'A dark man with no face,' and then glanced up and saw that grisly little motto again: Once in every generation the plague will fall among them. And that was that. I spent the next two years writing an apparently endless book called
The Stand
The Stand is a post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel by American author Stephen King. It demonstrates the scenario in his earlier short story, Night Surf...
.