Once again, in a separate trial, other AIM members involved in the incident were acquitted by reasons of self-defense. Quite frankly, it was stupid for FBI agents to drive an unmarked car into the middle of a range war between two factions. The feds grossly mishandled the problems at Pine Ridge back then (surprise).
And we've seen that to this day the feds have no problem rigging evidence and railroading defendents in the BP agent case. And look at what Scooter Libby is going through - the judge wouldn't even allow the jurors to consider whether Plame was actually covert or not, which is absurd.
So I think there is a very good chance that Peltier's trial was a railroad as well, given what I know of it.
But as Robbie Robertson once noted, Peltier didn't get a pardon from Clinton because he wasn't "Marc Rich" enough.
From what I know of the case, the two who were acquitted for self defense were not the men accused of standing over the injured and pleading lawmen and putting a bullet into each one's head at point blank range. Peltier was the one convicted of that.
It's kind of hard to argue self defense when your victim is helpless, bleeding and begging for his life.