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Killing of Meredith Hunter

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For the Australian politician, see Meredith Hunter (Australian politician).
Meredith Hunter
File:Meredith hunter.png
Meredith Hunter
Born(1951-10-24)October 24, 1951
Alameda County, California
DiedDecember 6, 1969(1969-12-06) (aged 18)
Altamont, California
NationalityAmerican

Meredith Hunter (October 24, 1951 – December 6, 1969) was a spectator at the Altamont Free Concert. During the performance by The Rolling Stones, Hunter pulled out a gun and was then stabbed to death by a Hells Angel serving as a security guard. The incident was caught on camera and became a central scene in the documentary Gimme Shelter.

Hunter, an 18-year-old native of Berkeley, California, was nicknamed "Murdock" and described by friends to be flashy dresser with a big Afro. Hunter, his girlfriend Patty Bredehoft, and another couple traveled from Berkeley to attend the Altamont Free Concert.[1][2]

During the Rolling Stones' closing set, a group of Hells Angels (who were providing security for the concert in a deal that included $500 worth of beer[3]) got into a scuffle with Hunter when he attempted to get onstage with other fans. One of the Hells Angels grabbed Hunter's head, punched him, and chased him back into the crowd. It is unclear if Hunter had been stabbed at that point, but Rolling Stones lead singer Mick Jagger stopped the song and asked the crowd to "cool out".[4][5] After resuming their set with "Under My Thumb", the scuffle between Hunter and the Hells Angels continued and was caught on cameras filming tour footage for the Rolling Stones' 1970 documentary Gimme Shelter.[6]

According to Gimme Shelter producer Porter Bibb, after Hunter was chased back into the crowd, his girlfriend Patty attempted to intervene when Hunter brandished a handgun. Some witnesses[who?] have said he fired the gun, and in the film an orange flash can be seen in a single frame, although it is impossible to tell for sure. In any case, in the film it is clear that Hunter pulled the gun and as a result was stabbed by an Angel. An autopsy later revealed that Hunter was stabbed five times [7][8] Hunter was interred on December 10, 1969 at the Skyview Memorial Lawn in Vallejo, California and was and was high on methamphetamine when he died.[citation needed]

Alan Passaro, a 21-year-old member of the Hells Angels, was charged with the crime, but Passaro claimed he acted in self-defense, and was acquitted.[9] The Rolling Stones were unaware that a killing had taken place during their set. In 1995, lead singer Mick Jagger commented on the tragedy in an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine publisher Jann Wenner who asked, "After the concert itself, when it became apparent that somebody got killed, how did you feel?" Jagger replied, "Well, awful. I mean, just awful. You feel a responsibility. How could it all have been so silly and wrong? But I didn't think of these things that you guys thought of, you in the press: this great loss of innocence, this cathartic end of the era.... I didn't think of any of that. That particular burden didn't weigh on my mind. It was more how awful it was to have had this experience and how awful it was for someone to get killed and how sad it was for his family and how dreadfully the Hell's Angels behaved." [10]

Shortly after Hunter's death, Altha May Anderson, Hunter's mother, requested that Altamont Raceway be turned into a public park to "prevent any more wrongful deaths at Altamont". Alameda County officials later voted to allow the Raceway to still host races, but barred future concerts and restricted the number of attendees to 3,000.[8] Anderson later sued the Rolling Stones for $500,000. After withdrawing attempts to get the case dismissed, the band paid Anderson $10,000.[11]

In 1985, Passaro was found dead floating in the Anderson Reservoir with $10,000 in his pocket. Foul play was initially suspected but was never confirmed.

Over the years, there were rumors that a second, unidentified assailant had inflicted the fatal wounds, and, as a result, the police considered the case still open. On May 25, 2005, the Alameda County Sheriff's Office announced that it was officially closing the stabbing case. Investigators, concluding a renewed two-year investigation, dismissed the theory that a second Hells Angel took part in the stabbing.[1]

In 2006, filmmaker Sam Green released a short documentary titled Lot 63, Grave C (Hunter's gravesite), which sheds more light upon Hunter's last day and the questions that remain.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b Lee, Henry K. (2005-05-26). "Altamont 'cold case' is being closed Theory of second stabber debunked by Sheriff's Dept". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ McKeen, William (2000). Rock and Roll is Here to Stay: An Anthology. 0-393-04700-8. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 287. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Torgoff, Martin (2004). Can't Find My Way Home: America in the Great Stoned Age, 1945-2000. Simon and Schuster. p. 239. ISBN 0-743-25863-0.
  4. ^ Marzorati, Gerald (2000-08-13). "Altamont: End, and Beginning". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ Wiener, Jon (1991). Come Together: John Lennon in His Time. University of Illinois Press. pp. 124–125. ISBN 0-252-06131-4.
  6. ^ Osgerby, Bill (2005). Biker: Truth and Myth: How the Original Cowboy of the Road Became the Easy Rider of the Silver Screen. Globe Pequot. p. 99. ISBN 1-592-28841-3.
  7. ^ Burks, John (1970-02-07). "Rock & Roll's Worst Day: The Aftermath of Altamont". Rolling Stone. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ a b Burks, John (1970-02-07). "Rock & Roll's Worst Day: The Aftermath of Altamont". Rolling Stone. p. 2. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ Tim, Purtell (1995-12-01). "Last Rite for the '60s". ew.com. Retrieved 2008-11-16.
  10. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938394/jagger_remembers_the_rolling_stone_interview/7
  11. ^ Smith, David James (2005-03-27). "The Stage of Death". The Sunday Times. p. 3. Retrieved 2008-11-16. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ Green, Sam (2006-04-12). "Sam Green: a tour through "lot 63, grave c"". sf360.org. Retrieved 2008-11-16.

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