Tupac Shakur’s godmother Assata Shakur dead at 78: Cop killer who escaped jail and fled to Cuba passes away

Assata Shakur, the godmother of Tupac Shakur and a convicted killer of a police officer, has died at the age of 78. She escaped from prison in 1979 and lived in Cuba ever since.

Joanne Deborah Chesimard, known as Shakur, died Thursday in Havana, Cuba, at an advanced age and due to health problems, according to a statement from Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Shakur’s daughter, Kakuya Shakur, also confirmed her mother’s death in a Facebook post. 

She announced that her mother, Assata Shakur, passed away on September 25th at around 1:15 PM.

I’m deeply saddened by this loss, and it’s hard to express how much. Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers, which are giving me strength. I feel your support and share in your grief.

‘Sending much love and appreciation to you all, Kakuya Shakur.’

On May 2, 1973, Assata Shakur, a member of both the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army, was involved in a shootout with New Jersey State Troopers after being pulled over for a traffic violation, along with two other individuals.

It was a truly tragic night. A state trooper, Werner Foerster, lost his life, and another officer was injured in the shooting. Sadly, someone from Tupac Shakur’s group was also killed. As someone who often thinks about safety and well-being, events like these are a stark reminder of how quickly things can change, and the importance of cherishing every moment.

Shakur was wanted for several serious crimes, like bank robbery, and tried to escape, but was eventually caught by police.

I’ve followed her story for years, and through everything she’s written from Cuba, she’s always insisted she never fired a weapon. She says she had her hands up when she was shot, and that’s what I believe based on everything I’ve read.

In 1977, Shakur was convicted of murder, armed robbery, and other offenses, receiving a life sentence. However, he managed to escape from prison in November 1979.

Supporters of the Black Liberation Army, disguised as visitors, entered the Clinton Correctional Facility for Women, overpowered two guards, and used a prison van to help Shakur escape.

The FBI says she vanished, then reappeared in Cuba in 1984, where Fidel Castro gave her refuge.

In 2013, Joanne Chesimard became the first woman ever placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted List.

As a longtime observer of the justice system, I’ve been following the case of Sundiata Acoli, an accomplice in the Foerster killing. It was interesting to see him granted parole in 2022. His legal team successfully argued that, even in his eighties, he’d been an exemplary inmate for almost thirty years, and had actually been helping other prisoners through counseling. It’s a reminder that rehabilitation *can* happen, even after a long time.

Chesimard-Shakur was the step-aunt and godmother of Tupac Shakur, the rapper who was tragically killed in 1996 at the age of 25.

Shakur´s case had long been a thorny issue in the fraught relations between the U.S. and Cuba. 

For decades, U.S. officials – including President Donald Trump during his first term – had been asking for her to be sent back from the communist country.

She had claimed she was being pursued for crimes she didn’t commit, or which were justified. 

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2025-09-26 20:03