No one could ever really know, especially now.

Maya Angelou was raped as a little girl.

This taught her the power of language early because she told her brother the man's name and he soon turned up dead. She did not speak for like five years because she felt like "I killed him by speaking his name." and it made her afraid of the power of her words.

When she grew up, she became an important author.

What little I have read indicates the man who violated her was her mother's boyfriend. He was arrested and spent one night in jail and then was released.

Three days later, his body was found. Stomped to death by probably multiple people. 

The assumption is her uncles killed him. But it was never investigated and no one was ever charged.

I think people look at that and are shocked at how the law didn't protect Black people in the racist Deep South.

I look at that and wonder if White cops of the era turned him loose knowing he would soon be dead if they did so and then went "I ain't arresting any of her uncles for that." knowing that White cops could get away with ignoring a Black man's death entirely and feeling fine with it being for an actual good reason for once.