C-Murder Changes Stage Name to C Miller
Tue Apr 5, 6:44 PM ET By DOUG SIMPSON, Associated Press Writer
BATON ROUGE, La. - Rapper C-Murder, in jail after a murder conviction in the 2002 killing of a teenager, has changed his stage name because he thinks he's been misunderstood. "I am not a murderer," the rapper, whose real name is Corey Miller, said in a statement released Tuesday.
He will now go by C Miller, said his publicist, Giovanni Melchiorre of New York-based Koch Records. Miller's statement said people had misinterpreted the C-Murder name, which he intended as a reflection of his upbringing in one of New Orleans' most violent housing projects.
"From the beginning, I have been a target because of who I am, my stage name and for my success as an entertainer and the success of my siblings," said Miller, whose brothers Percy and Vyshonn are also rappers. "People hear the name C-Murder and they don't realize that the name simply means that I have seen many murders in my native Calliope projects neighborhood."
Miller was convicted of second-degree murder Sept. 30, 2003, in the death of Steve Thomas, 16, a fan of the rapper who was shot to death inside a nightclub in the New Orleans suburb of Harvey. He faces a mandatory life sentence without parole.
In April 2004, State District Judge Martha Sassone ordered a new trial on grounds that prosecutors withheld information on the criminal history of their key witnesses.
Prosecutors appealed the ruling, and earlier this month, a state appeals court reversed the judge, saying other evidence established Miller's guilt.
He is being held in the Jefferson Parish jail. His defense lawyer, Ron Rakosky, has said he will appeal to the state Supreme Court.
The rapper's publicists also called a press conference for Wednesday in Baton Rouge, saying the local chapter of the NAACP planned to file a federal lawsuit on Miller's behalf, alleging that his civil and constitutional rights have been violated. A call to Ernest Johnson, head of the chapter, was not immediately returned.
Rakosky said he had no involvement with plans for a federal suit.
Miller recently angered the Jefferson Parish sheriff by recording parts of his latest music video and album from inside the sheriff's jail. The album, "The Truest S--- I Ever Said," is in the top five on the Billboard R&B/hip hop and rap charts this week.
Miller also has been indicted by a Baton Rouge grand jury on attempted second-degree murder charges in an unrelated case from 2001. Miller is accused of shooting at a Baton Rouge nightclub owner on Aug. 14, 2001. He faces a maximum sentence of 50 years if convicted in that case.
Miller's older brother Percy, 37, a rapper and producer, performs as Master P; Vyshonn Miller, 20, is known as Silkk the Shocker.
Percy and Vyshonn Miller were arrested in Los Angeles in January, accused of felony firearms charges. They have both pleaded innocent.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=495&ncid=689&e=3&u=/ap/20050405/ap_en_mu/c_murder
Tue Apr 5, 6:44 PM ET By DOUG SIMPSON, Associated Press Writer
BATON ROUGE, La. - Rapper C-Murder, in jail after a murder conviction in the 2002 killing of a teenager, has changed his stage name because he thinks he's been misunderstood. "I am not a murderer," the rapper, whose real name is Corey Miller, said in a statement released Tuesday.
He will now go by C Miller, said his publicist, Giovanni Melchiorre of New York-based Koch Records. Miller's statement said people had misinterpreted the C-Murder name, which he intended as a reflection of his upbringing in one of New Orleans' most violent housing projects.
"From the beginning, I have been a target because of who I am, my stage name and for my success as an entertainer and the success of my siblings," said Miller, whose brothers Percy and Vyshonn are also rappers. "People hear the name C-Murder and they don't realize that the name simply means that I have seen many murders in my native Calliope projects neighborhood."
Miller was convicted of second-degree murder Sept. 30, 2003, in the death of Steve Thomas, 16, a fan of the rapper who was shot to death inside a nightclub in the New Orleans suburb of Harvey. He faces a mandatory life sentence without parole.
In April 2004, State District Judge Martha Sassone ordered a new trial on grounds that prosecutors withheld information on the criminal history of their key witnesses.
Prosecutors appealed the ruling, and earlier this month, a state appeals court reversed the judge, saying other evidence established Miller's guilt.
He is being held in the Jefferson Parish jail. His defense lawyer, Ron Rakosky, has said he will appeal to the state Supreme Court.
The rapper's publicists also called a press conference for Wednesday in Baton Rouge, saying the local chapter of the NAACP planned to file a federal lawsuit on Miller's behalf, alleging that his civil and constitutional rights have been violated. A call to Ernest Johnson, head of the chapter, was not immediately returned.
Rakosky said he had no involvement with plans for a federal suit.
Miller recently angered the Jefferson Parish sheriff by recording parts of his latest music video and album from inside the sheriff's jail. The album, "The Truest S--- I Ever Said," is in the top five on the Billboard R&B/hip hop and rap charts this week.
Miller also has been indicted by a Baton Rouge grand jury on attempted second-degree murder charges in an unrelated case from 2001. Miller is accused of shooting at a Baton Rouge nightclub owner on Aug. 14, 2001. He faces a maximum sentence of 50 years if convicted in that case.
Miller's older brother Percy, 37, a rapper and producer, performs as Master P; Vyshonn Miller, 20, is known as Silkk the Shocker.
Percy and Vyshonn Miller were arrested in Los Angeles in January, accused of felony firearms charges. They have both pleaded innocent.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=495&ncid=689&e=3&u=/ap/20050405/ap_en_mu/c_murder
