Why is C-Murder in jail? Rapper's ex-girlfriend, Monica pays him a visit in prison

Rapper C-Murder’s ex-girlfriend, R&B singer Monica Denise, recently visited him in prison and posted a rare picture of them together behind bars. The two dated in the 90s. The rapper is currently serving a life sentence for the fatal shooting of 16-year-old Steve Thomas in 2002.

Long after his arrest, two witnesses from the case recanted their testimonies in 2018, leading to some hope for his release. Also known as Corey Miller and as the brother of hip-hop mogul Master P, C-Murder has maintained his innocence for a long time. His loved ones continuously call to have his conviction overturned.

Kim Kardashian also tweeted about the case in 2020, saying that she was joining Monica and her legal team to free Miller. Writing about the victim, Kardashian said:

“My heart goes out to the family of Steve Thomas. I can only imagine how hard this is and my intention is never to open up this painful wound but to help find the truth behind this tragedy.”

Kardashian continued and said:

“Since his [2009] trial, witnesses have recanted, new evidence of his potential innocence has come to light, and there are claims of jurors being pressured into voting to convict. The jury convicted Corey 10-2 and he was sentenced to life in prison. If his trial was today, the jury would have had to be unanimous for him to be convicted.”

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Reasons behind C-Murder’s arrest

C-Murder was accused of beating and shooting one of his fans, Steve Thomas, at the Platinum Club on January 12, 2002. He was arrested on January 19 for causing a disturbance at the House of Blues in New Orleans and was indicted on February 28, 2002.

Judge Martha Sassone granted a trial based on claims that prosecutors improperly withheld criminal background information on the three witnesses. Corey was placed under house arrest while awaiting a re-trial, and visitors, including reporters, had to take Sassone’s permission.

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Miller pleaded no contest to two counts of attempted second-degree murder on May 27, 2009. The charges emerged from a 2001 incident in Baton Rouge where the artist fired one shot from a semi-automatic pistol at the owner and bouncer of the nightclub, who refused to allow Miller to enter the area with a gun. He was sentenced to ten years with credit for time served.

C-Murder is serving time in prison on charges of murdering Steve Thomas (Image via @cmurder/Instagram)

The murder trial began on August 5, 2009. Steve’s father said that his son was C-Murder’s fan, and a bouncer testified against Miller, saying that he witnessed the shooting. Corey was convicted of second-degree murder and was sentenced on August 14 to mandatory life imprisonment by District Judge Hans Liljeberg.

His conviction was upheld on December 28, 2011 and his final appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court on February 19, 2013. Although a jury voted 10-2 to convict Miller, his attorneys argued that since federal juries should reach unanimous verdicts in criminal cases, Corey should not have been convicted in Louisiana.

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The 51-year-old’s attorney Rachel Conner filed a post-conviction relief application in state court in Gretna on April 2, 2014. She raised 10 points to support her assertion that her client did not receive a fair trial and stated she planned to raise additional points.

C-Murder went on hunger strike in August 2021 to protest his condition in fear of getting Covid-19 and his trial status, saying he believed the district attorney had withheld evidence. He hired civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump that month.