Daryl Campbell, also known as the podcaster Taxstone, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for his role in the 2016 shooting at Irving Plaza that resulted in the death of Ronald McPhatter, the bodyguard of rapper Troy Ave. The announcement was made on June 20 following a trial that spanned several weeks.
The shooting occurred at a T.I. concert in Irving Plaza, New York City, in May of 2016. What began as a confrontation between Campbell and Troy Ave escalated into a shooting that left McPhatter dead and several others injured, including Troy Ave himself. The prosecution linked Campbell to the crime through DNA evidence and eyewitness accounts, leading to a guilty verdict on March 23.
Campbell was initially arrested in January 2017 and charged with multiple offenses, including illegally possessing a firearm and second-degree murder. While he pled guilty to the federal gun charges in June 2017, he maintained his innocence in the murder charge until his trial.
Troy Ave was also arrested following the incident and faced charges including attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon. He later testified against Campbell during the trial in exchange for a reduced sentence. Following the testimony, Troy took to social media to rebuff accusations of being a “snitch.”
District Attorney Alvin Bragg stated following the verdict, “Daryl Campbell was convicted of killing a man and shooting three others during a tragic and deadly confrontation in a packed New York City music venue. We will vigorously prosecute anyone who commits this type of deadly violence.”
After the sentencing, Campbell placed the blame on Collins.
#Taxstone gave a defiant statement during the hearing. His final words were, “Half the stuff that was told on the stand by Troy Ave is a complete lie to protect himself from going to jail.”
— Shawn Setaro (@SameOldShawn) June 20, 2023
Journalist Shawn Setaro was in court when he heard Taxstone utter his final words to the court.
“Half the stuff that was told on the stand by Troy Ave is a complete lie to protect himself from going to jail,” Campbell said.