Snoop Dogg’s petition to seal his 1993 murder charge has been granted – 28 years after he was acquitted of shooting a gang member.
The rapper, now 52, and his bodyguard, McKinley Lee, were accused of the shooting and murder of a gang member called Philip Woldemariam in 1993 at Palms’ Woodbine Park in Los Angeles in August 1993 – and went on trial facing first and second degree murder charges in 1996.
The release of Snoop’s first album came shortly before his highly publicized trial and after he was cleared, the Drop It Like It’s Hot hitmaker has continued to enjoy enormous mainstream success.
Legal documents obtained by TMZ confirmed Snoop – real name Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. – asked a judge to seal the records in January 2024 – with the court signing off the request in late February,
Sealing the charge means the record is hidden from the public and won’t appear on background checks for employment, housing, and education.
Snoop Dogg’s petition to seal his 1993 murder charge has been granted – 28 years after he was acquitted of shooting a gang member – pictured February 2024
The rapper, now 52, and his bodyguard, McKinley Lee, were accused of the shooting and murder of a gang member called Philip Woldemariam in 1993 at Palms’ Woodbine Park in Los Angeles in August 1993 – and went on trial facing first and second degree murder charges in 1996 – the pair are pictured as they were acquitted
Snoop went to the same school in LA as Cameron Diaz but it was his desire for money that saw the former choirboy’s life take a decidedly downward turn as he joined notorious LA gang the Crips, ‘got into drugs and guns’ and started dealing cocaine.
Shortly after graduating from high school in 1989, he was arrested for trying to sell cocaine to an undercover police officer.
He was in and out of prison for drugs and gun offences over the next few years. And it was during one of his spells behind bars that fellow members of the Crips encouraged him to become a professional rapper. The move paid off – he became a superstar of rap.
In 1993, he was charged with being an accessory in the fatal shooting of a member of a rival gang, who’d allegedly been killed by one of the star’s bodyguards.
Prosecutors said Snoop had been driving the car from which the gun was fired. Despite the charge, he was controversially allowed to tour Britain. A tabloid headline reacted by proclaiming: ‘Kick this evil b*****d out’.
Snoop subsequently – and extraordinarily – claimed that the late Queen personally intervened over moves to keep him out of Britain.
Snoop – then 24 – was seen looking shocked and clasping his hands in prayer when he and his bodyguard were acquitted.
Jurors also acquitted the pair on one charge each of conspiracy to commit assault in connection with Woldemariam’s death.
Pictured: Snoop’s mugshot issued by Los Angeles Police in 1993
The star is pictured with Tupac Shakur in September 1996 – after his acquittal and days before Tupac’s murder
Snoop – who had remained free on $1million bail alongside Lee, told the LA Times after the acquittal: ;They made the right decision, you know what I’m saying?
‘This has been an ordeal that has affected our lives for the past 2 1/2 years. I was just trying to figure out if I was going to be here to raise my son.’
The father-of-four is a parent to Cordé, 29, Cordell, 27, and Cori, 25, from his 27-year marriage to Shante Broadus, and son Julian, 26, from a former relationship with Laurie Holmond.
Snoop and Shante first met as teenagers when they attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School in the Long Beach neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Their romance even included going to dances and their high school prom together before graduating in 1989.
The star has become one of the most successful musicians of all time and rehabilitated his image
He was a full-fledged hip-hop star by the time he and Shante decided to tied-the-knot on June 14, 1997, at The Ritz Carlton Hotel in Los Angeles.
Like most relationships, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Snoop and Shante, who briefly split in 2004, but ultimately reunited and eventually renewed their vows four years later in 2008.
‘I thought I was the man, and I was willing to give up what I had at home for that until I realized that what I had at home was irreplaceable,’ the 17-time Grammy Award nominee confessed to People of their reconciliation.