Who killed rapper Young Greatness? Details of murder explored ahead of Real Time Crime on ID

The upcoming episode of Investigation Discovery's Real Time Crime is all set to take a look at the famous murder of rapper Young Greatness, who was gunned down outside a New Orleans Waffle House in 2018. The mysterious murder perplexed authorities for quite some time but the use of surveillance cameras became the key to unpacking this case.

Real Time Crime, which focuses on surveillance camera footage that helps find the culprit, will cover this case in detail in the upcoming episode. The synopsis for the upcoming round of the game show reads:

"When a killer guns down a rapper outside a New Orleans Waffle House, police use state-of-the-art technology to find the culprit. A string of robberies in Jonesboro, Arkansas, baffles police until they use video to link the crimes."

This episode will air on February 6, 2024, at 9.00 AM EST.

Ahead of the episode, here is all you need to know about the brutal murder.

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Who was Young Greatness and how was he killed?

Theodore Joseph Jones III, better known by his stage name, Young Greatness, was an American rapper, best known for his breakout single, Moolah. The song peaked at number 85 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making him a known figure in the community.

In March 2016, Rolling Stone included Greatness in their list of 10 New Artists You Need to Know. Sadly, before he could come out with more of his original work, the rapper was shot to death.

On October 29, 2018, Young Greatness was gunned down outside a Waffle House in New Orleans by two gunmen, as per witnesses. The shooting took place at around 1.30 AM, and Young Greatness allegedly tried to flee his attackers, according to prosecutors.

At the time of the murder, Greatness was 34 years old. The murder shocked the music world and brought forth a lot of commentary from other eminent personalities.

The police were in search of two people in connection with the murder. It would be some time before the police could land the real criminal.

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Who killed Young Greatness?

With the help of CCTV footage, the authorities eventually unfolded a huge ploy that included Donald Reaux. Reaux allegedly set the plan to murder Young Greatness with the help of two teenagers, Lovance Wix and Donny Maxwell, both of whom were armed by Reaux.

After giving them handguns, Reaux allegedly asked them to lie in wait of Greatness (Jones), in the early morning hours of Oct. 29, while he met Jones inside. As soon as Jones attempted to enter his Nissan Sentra, the two young men attacked him.

Ultimately, one bullet hit Jones in the back and he eventually collapsed in the parking lot, succumbing to the injury. Maxwell later confessed to firing the shot that killed the rapper. Reaux was captured leaving the restaurant and slyly leaving without attending to his injured friend.

All this combined, Reaux was ultimately charged with second-degree murder for arranging the murder of Young Greatness. He was also convicted of obstruction of justice, armed robbery, possession of a firearm by a felon, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

Both Wix and Maxwell were also convicted for their respective roles in the murder.

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More details about this case will be available in the upcoming episode of Investigation Discovery's Real Time Crime.