ATLANTA — District Attorney Fani Willis’ office is defending a decades-old murder conviction against former Black Panther leader H. Rap Brown while simultaneously condemning serious misconduct that occurred during the original prosecution.
In a Wednesday court filing, Georgia prosecutors maintained that recent DNA analysis continues to support Brown’s guilt in the fatal shooting of sheriff’s deputies in 2000. Brown, who later changed his name to Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, was convicted of killing Deputy Ricky Kinchen and wounding Deputy Aldranon English outside his Atlanta residence.
However, the same filing delivered harsh criticism of the case’s original lead prosecutor, Robert McBurney, who now serves as a Fulton County superior court judge. McBurney has presided over several nationally significant cases, including overseeing the special grand jury in Willis’ investigation that led to charges against Donald Trump and others regarding alleged attempts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.
Willis’ team described McBurney’s trial conduct as “the most egregious” problem in the case, stating he “crossed the line from aggressive advocacy into misconduct that undermined the core principles of justice.”
The filing detailed how McBurney violated Al-Amin’s constitutional rights during closing arguments by presenting a chart titled “Questions for the defendant” and making comments designed to highlight that Al-Amin chose not to testify. When Al-Amin remained seated for religious reasons as the jury entered, McBurney told jurors, “Don’t stand for him.”
“These were not minor oversights; they reflected a troubling pattern of behavior that prioritized winning over truth, and conviction over justice,” prosecutors wrote.
The filing also revealed misconduct by FBI Special Agent James Campbell, who allegedly approached the handcuffed Al-Amin after his arrest, kicked and spat on him, and declared, “This is what we do to cop killers.” Defense lawyers have long claimed Campbell planted the weapons used in the shooting at Al-Amin’s arrest location.
According to the filing, Campbell had previously been transferred to Atlanta after shooting an unarmed Muslim man in the back of the head, with that victim’s supporters also accusing Campbell of planting evidence.
Despite acknowledging these serious issues, prosecutors argue that modern DNA testing strengthens the case against Al-Amin. While DNA tests excluded Al-Amin from genetic material found on both weapons, his DNA was discovered on a leather belt wrapped around one of the guns.
“This case had a trifecta of issues which undermined the process and the public’s confidence in justice,” the filing stated.
Al-Amin died in prison last November, but his family seeks a hearing to clear his reputation. Their attorney, Mawuli Davis, said, “His legacy is still at the center of this.”
Willis’ office indicated it would not oppose a comprehensive review of the case, potentially allowing for public reexamination of a prosecution that has long divided civil rights advocates and law enforcement officials.
The incident occurred on March 16, 2000, when deputies Kinchen and English arrived in Atlanta’s West End neighborhood to serve a warrant on Al-Amin for failing to appear in court on charges of driving a stolen vehicle and impersonating an officer. English testified that Al-Amin opened fire with an assault rifle when they attempted the arrest, then used a handgun to shoot the wounded Kinchen three times as he lay in the street.
Al-Amin was captured four days later in White Hall, Alabama, where he had helped establish a Muslim community.
As a 1960s activist, Al-Amin had famously declared that violence was “as American as cherry pie” and that Black Americans would use force if necessary to combat oppression. He later converted to Islam during a prison term and relocated to Atlanta in the 1970s, where he became a prominent imam and leader of the National Ummah, one of the country’s largest Black Muslim organizations.
McBurney did not respond to requests for comment, and contact information for Campbell could not be located.
