1965 February 21 Malcolm X, 39-year-old black nationalist leader and former member of the Black Muslim sect, is shot to death in the Audubon Ballroom, New York City, as he is about to deliver an address before a rally of several hundred followers (OAAU). After the murder, Black Muslim headquarters in New York City and San Francisco are burned, and most Muslim leaders are placed under heavy police guard. Three blacks: Talmadge Hayer, Norman 3X Butler, and Thomas 15X Johnson are later taken into custody, and charged with first-degree murder. The trio is convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment on March 10,1966.