Malcolm Shabazz was murdered during a trip to Mexico on May 9, 2013 in Mexico City, Mexico. He was 28.
According to New York magazine, a friend who was with Shabazz the night of his death said the beating was related to a dispute over a $1,200 bar tab for drinks and female companionship. Three men were arrested and charged with the murder.
Born October 8, 1984 in Paris, France, Malcolm Shabazz was the son of Qubilah Shabazz and L.A. Bouasba. He was the grandson of civil rights activists Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz.
His mother Qubilah Shabazz was arrested by the FBI over an outlandish plot to kill Louis Farrakhan — the leader of the Nation of Islam who had fallen out with Malcolm X prior to his death in 1995. Qubilah allegedly believed Farrakhan was involved in her father’s assassination and wanted revenge. She was indicted on charges of using telephones and crossing state lines as part of the plot but accepted a plea deal, agreeing to seek treatment for drug and alcohol abuse.
Malcolm, then 10, was sent to live with his grandmother, Betty Shabazz.
On June 1, 1997, Malcolm Shabazz, then 12, started a fire in his grandmother’s apartment. During the blaze, Betty suffered burns to 80% of her body and she later died of injuries on June 23, 1997. Malcolm pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months in juvenile detention on charges of arson and manslaughter.
Following his release, Shabazz lived with his aunt, Ilyasah Shabazz shortly. He was arrested again in 2002 for stealing $100 and pleaded guilty to attempted robbery and as such was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. Shabazz was arrested again in 2006, for punching a hole in a store’s glass window.
In 2010, Malcolm Shabazz made the Hajj to Mecca.
Shabazz was survived by his mother, his two daughters, and four aunts.
He was interred at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York, United States.