Louisiana rapper Torrance Hatch’s murder trial is underway. Hatch, better known as Lil Boosie, is charged with first degree murder in connection with the death of Terry Boyd in 2009. According to Assistant District Attorney Dana Cummings the killing was a murder-for-hire with Boosie giving the command and the murder being taken care of by his (then) 17 year old hit man, Michael “Marlo Mike” Louding.
The defense has maintained that Boosie is innocent and that the killing was done solely by Louding (two other possible connections) and has painted him as a haunted soul with the desire to kill. It should be noted that Louding has also been implicated for five other murders from 2009 to 2010. Boosie is only on trial for the killing of Terry Boyd.
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Boosie’s attorney, Jason Williams stated that Boosie had an amicable relationship with Boyd and even fathered a child with his sister.
Williams also believes that Boosie is being unfairly prosecuted for his rap lyrics. On Wednesday, jurors listened to Boosie’s songs that were recorded before and after the Boyd’s time of death that fateful night. With the help of a computer forensics expert, the prosecution was able to find out that Boosie’s song “187” was recorded at 11:24 p.m. on October 20, 2009. In the song it is stated, “Yo Marlo. He drives a Monte Carlo. I want that n***a dead.” According to police detectives, 187 is the police code in California for murder. At 11:26 that same night Boosie refers to himself as the “John Gotti of the Southside” and repeats the line “I want that n***a dead.” At 11:54, Boosie rapped “please tell him it’s from Boosie when you hit that n***a up.” Finally at 12:50, Boosie was recording the song “Body Bag” and says “rock a bye baby.” The computer expert also determined that it was 12:51 when Boosie recorded the line “Curtain call. Put that n***a brains on the wall” and “How you going to bust me in a body bag?”
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According to Boosie’s attorneys, the lyrics that were played for the courtroom were recorded before Boyd was killed and that the records they heard were “resampled.” Boosie’s other attorney, Martin Regan claimed that Cummings was only using the lyrics to slander Boosie and were “not relevant” to the crime that took place. It is being said that Boosie wanted Boyd killed because of a letter from an inmate named Lee Lucas. The letter stated that Boyd planned to “jack and slap” Boosie.
It was around 12:30 a.m. on October 21st, 2009 when Terry Body was shot. The weapon was a 9 mm handgun and it fired six bullets into the window of his house on Vermilion drive. By the time police arrived, Boyd was dead. According to a neighbor, there were two men sprinting towards the train tracks near the residence.
Because of the lack of eyewitnesses and DNA the prosecution is basing as much of the case as possible on a taped “confession” from Louding and Boosie’s lyrics.
Another piece of evidence that was shown in court was a tattoo that Louding apparently received after killing Boyd. The tattoo shows an AK-47 with the words, “Yo Boosie. Who’s Next?” and lyrics from the songs “187” and “Body bag.”
In an interesting turn of events on Monday, Louding changed his story and denied all involvement on the behalf of himself and Boosie in connection with the murder of Boyd. He claims that “crooked cops” who he says threatened him with lethal injection and threatened to go after his family coerced his “confession” out of him.
Louding also claimed that his interrogators told him that Boosie put a $25,000 bounty on his head. After Louding’s testimony, police Sgt. Chris Johnson denied making any threats. Although Johnson profusely denied telling Louding that Boosie had a bounty out on him, during one taped confession Louding is seen and heard saying, “That dude want to kill me? He’s getting out now?”
Prosecutors are not seeking the death penalty for Boosie, but he will face life in prison if convicted. Louding is ineligible for the death penalty because the murder occurred when he was still a minor. He faces four other counts of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree murder for his part in the five other killings. Boosie is currently serving 8 years in prison after being sentenced in November for conspiring to smuggle drugs and other contraband into the Dixon Correctional Institute and the Louisiana State Penitentiary.
It appears that the government is relying on the lyrical words of rapper Lil Boosie rather than providing hard evidence of a conspiracy to commit murder. Do you think the government has enough substantial evidence to convict him or do you believe that the rapper’s 1st Amendment right of Freedom of Speech is being challenged? Leave us your comments below.
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