Former No Limit standout McKinley “Mac” Phipps has been incarcerated for the last 21 years over a killing many people believe he didn’t commit. And it looks like the rapper might finally be coming home, after the Louisiana Board of Parole and Pardons voted to grant him clemency on February 22, the Huffington Post reports.
The move to push for Phipps’ release came after reporting from New Orleans investigative news outlet The Lens and a wave of scandals plaguing a former district attorney cast doubt on his conviction. McKinley’s wife told the Huffington Post that she was excited by the news and awaiting Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards’ sign-off.
“Today’s been a good day. It’s kind of the beginning of the road to freedom, but there’s still some more bases to go.” Angelique Phipps said. “It’s a start. One step closer.”
Angelique added that she thinks the clemency case will give hope to other people fighting to overturn wrongful convictions.
“Not only is this amazing for us, but I believe that it also provides hope for those in comparable situations. Our goal is in sight, and we will get to the finish line,” she said.
Phipps was charged with manslaugter in the 2000 shooting death of Barron C Victor, Jr. at a nightclub called Club Mercedes in Slidell, Louisiana. In spite of the fact that Phipps’ bodyguard admitted to police that he had shot Victor by mistake when another person at the club charged him, the rapper was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison.
The Lens uncovered an affidavit from one of the defense’s key witnesses, who claimed they were threatened and harassed into testifying that they had seen Phipps kill Victor. Other witnesses who claimed to be next to the rapper when the shots were fired by someone else were not called to testify. The case received even more scrutiny after the then-DA of St. Tammany Parish Walter Reed was sentenced to 5 years in prison on charges of corruption in 2017. Reed served as the district attorney for three decades, overseeing a local criminal justice regime so punitive that the area earned the nickname of “St. Slammany” for its willingness to put people behind bars.
Even the victim’s former fiancé has come around to Mac’s innocence, telling HuffPost that “an innocent man is locked up” back in 2016.
