Assata Shakur Dies in Cuba at 78

Assata Shakur (born JoAnne Deborah Byron/Chesimard) died on Sept. 25, 2025, in Havana, Cuba, at age 78, Cuban authorities and her daughter Kakuya Shakur confirmed; Kakuya said her mother took her last breath at about 1:15 p.m., and the Cuban ministry cited “health conditions and advanced age.” Shakur was convicted in 1977 for her role in the 1973 New Jersey Turnpike shootout that killed state trooper Werner Foerster; she was wounded in the encounter and maintained her innocence. She escaped from prison in 1979, resurfaced in Cuba in 1984, and was granted political asylum by Fidel Castro, remaining in exile for decades. U.S. authorities labeled her a fugitive, later placed her on the FBI’s most-wanted/terrorist lists and offered a reward of up to $2 million for information leading to her capture. In exile she published memoirs and essays and remained active as an activist; she was a polarizing figure—hailed by supporters as a freedom fighter and denounced by others as a convicted killer—and her death is likely to reignite debate over her conviction and U.S.–Cuba relations.