C-Murder Denied Mistrial, Prosecution Rests

The trial against rapper C-Murder (born Corey Miller) plods on. On Friday, Aug. 8, Miller's lawyer's attempts to seek mistrial were denied by the court, after the prosecution revealed that they had made a plea bargain with a witness who has testified against Miller.

The witness, club bouncer Kenneth Jordan, claimed under oath that he saw Miller fire the shots that killed 16-year-old Steve Thomas, after a dispute at New Orleans' Club Platinum. Under cross-examination, Jordan admitted that he had signed the deal, agreeing to testify against Miller in exchange for having his own charges dropped. Miller's lawyer claimed the prosecution had employed "coercive tactics," forcing Jordan to testify against Miller.

On Friday, the judge rejected the mistrial and, after three days of testimony from 13 witnesses, the prosecution rested its case. The New Orleans rapper is on his second trial for the 2002 murder. His first conviction was overturned after the court learned that several witnesses for the prosecution had their criminal backgrounds expunged.

If convicted, Miller faces life in prison.