Tupac Shakur’s Stepfather To Be Freed From Prison After More Than 35 Years

Mutulu Shakur, 72, will be released on parole on Dec. 16, 2022.

November 16, 2022
Mutulu Shakur in the Manhattan Correction Center at 150 Park Row.

Tupac Shakur’s stepfather, Mutulu Shakur, is set to be freed from prison after more than 35 years.

Photo by: Jim Hughes via Getty Images

Jim Hughes via Getty Images

After more than three decades behind bars, Mutulu Shakur, Tupac Shakur’s stepfather, will be released on parole next month, according to NBC News.

A former activist and Black Liberation Army member, Shakur, 72, was convicted of planning a Brinks truck heist, in Nyack, New York, that killed two cops and a security guard in 1988.

Originally sentenced to 60 years in prison, the U.S. Parole Commission accepted Shakur’s request for a compassionate release, according to Yahoo News. He’s appealed for release throughout the years but was denied each time. Yahoo reports the courts decided “his crimes were too serious” and his health wasn’t a good enough reason to be released early.

According to NBC News, Shakur has been living with several health issues, including stage-3 multiple myeloma, a cancer that affects the bones and kidneys. Brad Thomas, Shakur’s attorney, told NBC that in May, doctors gave the 72-year-old less than six months to live.

In October, officials told Shakur “We now find your medical condition renders you so infirm of mind and body that you are no longer physically capable of committing any federal, State, or local crime,” Complex reported.

According to The Root, Shakur is currently being held at a federal medical center in Lexington, Kentucky. He has caught Covid twice and is using IV feeding tubes.

As part of his parole, Shakur will have GPS monitoring and undergo travel restrictions, as reported by the New York Post. He is not allowed to make contact with anyone associated with “The Family”, a militant group made up of veterans of the BLA and Weather Underground, and fellow revolutionary Joanne Chesimard, previously known as Assata Shakur.

Shakur will be released on Dec. 16, 2022.

Next Up

Arrests Made In Robberies, Deaths Of Men At NYC Gay Clubs

On March 31, 2023, the New York Police Department identified three suspects in connection to the deaths of 25-year-old Julio Ramirez and 33-year-old John Umberger.

Rapper Blueface Arrested For Attempted Murder

The 25-year-old was arrested in Las Vegas on Nov. 15 in regards to an October incident.

Brooklyn Teen Charged With Hate Crime In Killing Of O'Shae Sibley

O'Shae Sibley was voguing to Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” album when Dmitriy Popov began spewing racist, homophobic slurs at him before allegedly fatally stabbing him in the chest.

Who Was Notorious Jewel Thief Jack “Murph The Surf” Murphy?

Not all of the details Murphy shared about his life can be verified, but what we know to be true is a fascinating tale about a daytime surfer who moonlighted as a high-end thief.

Louisiana Father Serving Life Sentence Freed After Judge Vacates Double Murder Conviction

Innocence Project New Orleans attorney says Larry Moses wasn’t in town when shooting occurred, star witness “had motivation to lie.”

Oregon Man Fatally Stabbed After Defending His Friend From Harassment

Colin Smith, a 32-year-old Portland man, was stabbed to death at a local bar on July 2 while defending his friend from anti-LGBTQ harassment.

Family Of Christina Yuna Lee, Who Was Murdered In Her Manhattan Apartment, Sues NYPD For Inaction

Christina Yuna Lee was fatally stabbed in her NYC apartment when a man followed her home after a night out. Now her family is suing the NYPD for negligence, saying delays in assistance ultimately led to her death.

20-Year-Old Woman Fatally Shot After Vehicle Pulled Into Wrong Driveway

A Hebron, New York homeowner has been charged with second-degree murder after he allegedly shot at a car that pulled into his driveway, killing passenger Kaylin Gillis.

South Carolina Store Owner Charged With Murder After Shooting Of 14-Year-Old Boy

14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton was allegedly chased, shot, and killed by the owner of a convenience store on May 28, 2023. Rick Chow, 58, has since been charged with his murder.

Migos Rapper Takeoff Dead After Houston Shooting

In the early morning hours of Nov. 1, 2022, the 28-year-old rapper was shot and killed outside a bowling alley in Texas.