Closing arguments
in the murder trial of rapper Corey "C-Murder" Miller were halted today,
when the state 5th Circuit of Appeals in New Orleans ruled that a judge cannot
keep prosecutors from telling jurors that Miller could be innocent of second degree
murder.
Prosecutors said
that jurors should be informed that Miller could be guilty of manslaughter for
the role he allegedly played in the beating of 16-year-old Steve Thomas in a
Jefferson Parish nightclub.
The second degree
murder charges carry a mandatory life sentence, while the lesser charge of manslaughter
could put Miller behind bars for up to 40 years.
Two prosecution
witnesses claim they saw Miller shoot Thomas after an argument between the two,
while the defense presented several witnesses who gave conflicting testimony
and claimed they saw Miller in different parts of the club.
Miller’s defense
attorney Ronald J. Rokosky said that Jefferson Parish police could only produce
two witnesses who saw Miller shoot Thomas despite there being over 150 people
in the club.
