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Hulu's latest docu-series, Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae, covers the brutal murder of American activist Annie Mae and sheds light on the people behind it, Arlo Looking Cloud and John Graham, both of whom were punished for the crime. But it happened decades after the incident shook the community of Indigenous people in America.
Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae covers both Annie Mae's life and achievements, which made her stand out in the crowd, and the brutal manner of her death, which ultimately came from some of her own people. Despite dating back to 1975, this remains one of the most crucial crime cases of our time.
Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae premiered on Hulu on November 26, 2024. The synopsis for the show reads:
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"Exploring the life and murder of Annie Mae Aquash, a Mi'kmaq woman from Nova Scotia, Canada whose death in the 1970s went unsolved for almost 30 years."
While others were also indicted in the murder, Arlo Looking Cloud and John Graham were the primary suspects and eventually became the two members to receive the bulk of the punishment. Arlo Looking Cloud was first sentenced to life in prison, but he testified against John Graham during the latter's trial years later.
That led to a reduced sentence for Arlo Looking Cloud, who is now out of prison. He was released in 2020 and has kept a low profile over the past few years. Graham was also sentenced to life and remains incarcerated as of today. He's incarcerated at South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Who are Arlo Looking Cloud and John Graham and how were they linked to Annie Mae?
In the 1960s, the AIM was formed, which aimed to reduce the bias against American Indians in the States, especially to shield them from police brutality, which was extremely common during the time.
The eventual perpetrators, Looking Cloud and Graham were the member of the organization along with Annie Mae, who joined it after she moved to Boston and met Indigenous people from America.
After several years of working at AIM, some members of the organization began doubting that Mae was an FBI informant. That was because she was arrested twice in 1975 and got out rather easily.
In December 1975, Mae was last seen with Arlo Looking Cloud, John Graham and Theda Nelson Clarke at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Soon after, she seemingly disappeared. While rumors started circulating about her being dead, it wasn't until February of 1976 that her body was discovered by a rancher.
According to reports, there were alleged attempts to cover up this murder, as it was initially declared that she died from exposure to the cold. Moreover, her body was also not properly identified. It was only after pressure from family members that the body was exhumed and sent for another autopsy. This time, it was determined that she was shot in the head with a .32 caliber bullet.
Due to no physical evidence against any of the AIM members, the authorities could do nothing to charge them.
Where are Arlo Looking Cloud and John Graham now?
Finally, over 30 years after the murder, a jury decided to indict Looking Cloud and Graham for the murder. In Cloud's trial, he was found guilty of the murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2004.
In 2010, Graham went to trial, and this time, Arlo agreed to serve as the witness. His testimony led to Graham's conviction and subsequent life sentence. Meanwhile, Arlo's sentence was reduced to 20 years. He got out in 2020. Graham remains incarcerated at South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Other names from the organization also came up, including Thelma Conroy-Rios, who pleaded guilty to kidnapping and served a short sentence, and Vine Richard “Dick” Marshall, who was acquitted of the charges.
Vow of Silence: The Assassination of Annie Mae covers this case in further detail.
