By Mike Moran of Confessional Podcast:
?Confessional Podcast on Apple Podcasts
Confessional is a podcast delving into the dark, creepy and often haunting stories of our listeners. Confessional is a?
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Sometimes our heroes let us down. There?s nothing worse than meeting a celebrity you grew up idolizing, only to find them to be an egotistical jerk. Well, there?s one thing worse?as 16 year old Steve Thomas learned in January 2002.
Steve Thomas?s favorite rapper was a man named Cory Miller, who raps under the moniker C-Murder. Miller found fame in the late 90s and early 2000s with the wildly popular No Limits Records label, owned by rap mogul Master P, C-Murder?s brother.
By all accounts, Steve Thomas?s fandom was typical for a kid his age. He played C-Murder and other hip-hop music endlessly, and decorated his bedroom with posters of the rap star. There?s no record of Steve being overly obsessive, or showing any kind of stalking behavior.
C-Murder wasn?t quite a household name before the incident, but he was certainly a powerful force within the hip-hop industry. He had 3 platinum albums under his belt, and had collaborated on songs with rap megastars the likes of Snoop Dogg, Fat Joe, and Jermaine Dupri.
When the underage Steve Thomas heard C-Murder was performing a show near him in Harvey, Louisiana, he made sure to borrow an older friend?s ID so he could get in. He told his parents he was going to a movie, and headed to the Platinum Club with gold foil wrapped around his teeth???a faux ?grill? to look like the rappers he aspired to someday be amongst.
Steve must have felt elated for a moment when he seemed to have the opportunity to make actual contact with his idol. Imagining myself as a teenager, I can see how it would be difficult to show tact if an opportunity to approach my favorite musician presented itself. And then Steve?s excitement turned to terror as things went horribly wrong.
Few details have emerged about exactly how things went bad when Thomas encroached on C-Murder?s personal space. What we do know is that he was quickly issued a severe beating by Miller?s entourage of at least 15 people. The rap star himself landed many blows. And then a shot rang out, accompanied by (according to some witnesses) a furious Miller shouting ?Do you know who the f???- I am??
Most of the attendees scattered after the gun was fired, and few who were around when the police arrived were willing to talk.
This wasn?t the first time C-Murder was alleged to have pulled his gun in anger. He had been found guilty in a previous incident in Baton Rouge, where he shot at a club owner who refused to let him in with his firearm.
Miller was eventually found guilty of the crime, but the legal proceedings have been fraught with controversy. There have been multiple accusations of witness intimidation on those who alleged to have seen C-Murder pull the trigger. On the other side, many believe the trial had been unfair to Miller because of the lack of physical evidence, and the fallibility of eyewitness accounts. Also, one juror has said she felt bullied by the court and fellow jurors to convict him against her judgement. Nonetheless, C-Murder has received a life sentence and has been incarcerated for over a decade. He continues to release music from prison and maintains his innocence.
Steve Thomas?s family believes Miller killed their son, and have lobbied heavily for his incarceration. When the guilty verdict was announced in the courtroom in September 2003, the Thomas family is reported to have turned to the fallen rap star and proclaimed, ?Do you know who the f???- we are??
Also by Mike Moran:
The Most Brutal Assaults of Suge Knight.
The boogeyman of hip-hop, and the victims who got it the worst.
medium.com
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