Bay Area rapper and convicted killer Mac Minister remain behind bars following a double murder conviction. However, he made a few attempts to get out. The court convicted Andre “Mac Minister” Dow of the murders of two rappers from the Kansas City area, Anthony “Fat Tone” Watkins and Jermaine “Cowboy” Aikens, in retaliation for Mac Dre's murder. A jury convicted Dow in 2008 for the murders of Watkins and Aikens. However, Mac Minister continuously claimed that he didn’t receive a fair trial, hoping to overturn his life sentence.
For nearly 15 years, Mac and his legal team have stated that he was wrongfully convicted of the two murders. The rapper’s initial attempt to get the conviction tossed occurred in 2010. But, his legal team saw little success in their effort. They recently filed a motion alleging that he didn’t get a fair trial and claimed the prosecutors withheld key information from the state’s witness. While Mac hoped for the best, the judge shut down the request last month.
Mac Minister Will Remain Behind Bars
Clark County District Court Judge Michelle Leavitt ruled against Mac Minister’s motion last month. Minister’s attorneys said the prosecutors failed to provide information on witness Antoine Mouton. However, Judge Leavitt stated that Mac Minister appeared on numerous podcasts from prison where he detailed Mouton’s personal information and his testimony in court. Though Mouton recanted his story in an affidavit, the judge questioned his motives and credibility in changing his testimony. In his latest testimony, he explained that he didn’t know how an affidavit materialized.
The judge also addressed statements from San Francisco prosecutor Lateef Gray, who similarly stated the prosecutors withheld information about Mouton. However, the judge painted Gray’s information as inaccurate before pointing out that Lateef and Dow grew up in the same neighborhood. Then, there was a statement from Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacom, who admitted to misspeaking on specific dates and timeframes. Ultimately, the judge stated that they haven’t proven prosecutors failed to provide certain information.
Mac’s attorney, Robert Demarco, expressed his disappointment in the ruling. “I believe that we proved by clear and convincing evidence that 1) Mr. Mouton, 2) his father, and 3) former prosecutor, Lateef Gray, were all credible at the evidentiary hearing and that their testimony was provided free from any undue influence or duress,” DeMarco told 8NewsNow in a statement. “Mr. Dow continues to categorically maintain his factual innocence. I believe in his factual innocence.”
