The Louisiana Supreme
Court has overturned Corey "C-Murder" Miller’s murder conviction yesterday
(Mar. 10) and the rapper could be free on bond as early as Monday, according
to his lawyer.
Miller was convicted
of second-degree murder in the shooting death of 16-year-old Steven Thomas.
Thomas was shot in the chest after an argument inside of the Platinum Club in
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana in January 2002.
Over 300 people
were inside of the club on the night of the shooting, and several witnesses
identified Miller as the shooter.
Miller was charged
with second-degree murder and was ordered held on $2 million dollars bond. He
pleaded not guilty, but his bond was revoked, after authorities claimed he bribed
two Jefferson Parish officers to smuggle in a cell phone and charger into prison.
Prosecutors claimed
Miller used the phone to communicate with friends in attempt to harm or intimidate
witnesses in the trial.
Miller pleaded
not guilty and went to trial in Sept. of 2003. He was convicted of second-degree
murder, which carries a mandatory life sentence. Several witnesses for the prosecution
offered testimony identifying Miller as the shooter.
At a Dec. 2003
hearing to appeal the verdict, a woman that testified for the prosecution revealed
she did not actually see Miller shoot the Thomas. She also said she witnessed
another man with a gun moments before the shooting.
The woman said
she witnessed another man known as "Calliope Slim" brandishing a gun
just before Thomas was gunned down.
She testified she
told Jefferson Parish detectives about Calliope Slim before the trial. The information
was never brought up during the trial, along with other information that may
have led to Miller’s acquittal.
It was also revealed
that detectives cleared parking tickets and a felony theft arrest warrant for
one of the witnesses friends, in exchange for testimony.
The defense argued
the withheld evidence cast doubt on the credibility of the witnesses and the
prosecutions case.
In 2004, Judge
Sassone agreed with Miller’s defense team, and ordered a new trial.
Prosecutors appealed
Sassone’s ruling and in March of 2005, two of three judges on the 5th Circuit
Court of Appeal disagreed with Sassone’s ruling and upheld the second-degree
murder conviction.
In Feb. 2006, Miller
filed a request with the Louisiana Supreme Court, which has granted the rapper
a new trial,
It is now up to
the prosecution to decide if they will retry Miller for second-degree murder.
Representatives for the District Attorney did not offer comment on the Louisiana
Supreme Court’s ruling.