The Nebraska 2 were charged and convicted of the murder of Omaha Police Officer Larry Minard and given life sentences. Minard died when a suitcase containing dynamite exploded in a North Omaha home on August 17, 1970. Officer John Tess was also injured in the explosion. Both have insisted they never manufactured a bomb, and never instructed a 16-year-old to make a 911 call to lure police to a trap. So much evidence has come to light since their convictions to corroborates their story that Amnesty International and the Lincoln NAACP have called for their release, or for a new trial.

Ed and Mondo were members of the Black Panther Party, and their case was, and continues to be, controversial. The Omaha Police withheld exculpatory evidence at trial. The two men had been targeted by the FBI’s COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program), which operated against and infiltrated anti-war and Civil Rights groups, including the Omaha Black Panthers. The US section of Amnesty International recognizes them as political prisoners. The state’s parole board have recommended the men for release, but political leaders have not acted on these recommendations.  Mondo passed away in prison in 2016.