Rappers have always maintained contentious connection with law enforcement at best, but this year saw two emcees receive hefty sentences for their misdeeds.
C-Murder’s (Corey Miller) 9- year homicide case came to close in August when the rapper was sentenced to life in prison for the 2002 shooting of 16 year old Steven Thomas.
Miller was originally found guilty in 2003, but the verdict was overturned when evidence surfaced showing that prosecutors withheld the criminal records of several witnesses.
Miller’s retrial saw several twists, with an incarcerated friend in Georgia attempting to claim responsibility for the crime. In addition, an eyewitness bouncer claiming the New Orleans rapper killed the teen as he lay on the club’s floor following an assault from Miller’s entourage.
The jury reached the guilty verdict by a count of 10-2, and maintained that vote on a second deliberation after one juror claimed she was coerced to find C-Murder guilty.
The 38-year old emcee’s problems were compounded by a 10 year conviction for second-degree attempted murder in May. Footage surfaced showing Miller attempting to shoot a club owner and a bouncer in August 2001.
Currently, Miller is serving his life sentence without parole while attempting an appeal.
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In September, Harlem’s Max B (Chrly Wingate) lost his freedom with a sentence of 75 years for his role in planning a robbery in a NJ hotel that resulted in a murder.
The conviction was secured heavily on the testimony of Max’s ex-girlfriend Gina Conway. According to her June testimony, Wingate masterminded to plot rob two men (David Taylor and Allan “Jay” Plowden) whom Conway had disclosed carried around excessive amounts of cash.
Wingate recruited a third conspirator in Kelvin Leerdam , who ambushed the targets with Conway at a Fort Lee, New Jersey Holiday Inn.
During the robbery, Plowden was duct-taped at gunpoint, and Taylor was shot execution-style in the head when he was lured to Plowden’s hotel room.
Leerdam was sentenced to life in prison, and Gina Conway received 18 years in prison despite her testimony.
Shortly after the verdict, Max B released a statement detailing his plans to appeal.
“Thank you to all my fans for the continuous love and support during my trial,” Max explained to AllHipHop.com. “With the advice of my attorney, family and friends I’ve decided to appeal my conviction, with full belief that I will be found innocent of all charges. This has been a long journey but, I have full faith that there will be a positive outcome and I will be cleared of all erroneous allegations.”
