Former Rap Exec Jimmy Henchman Sentenced To Life For Murder
Less than two months after Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight was sentenced to 28 years behind bars for the 2015 killing of music executive Terry Carter, another former, sometimes feared Hip-Hop manager is formally ordered to serve the rest of his life behind bars. James Rosemond, Jr., perhaps better known to Rap fans as Jimmy Henchman, has been handed a life sentence, plus 30 years, for the 2009 killing of G-Unit affiliate Lowell “Lodi Mack” Fletcher. His formal charges include murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and firearms offenses.
According to AllHipHop, who published a reaction letter written by Rosemond, the formal sentencing in the re-trial transpired yesterday (November 8). A press release from the Department Of Justice in the Southern District of New York confirms the verdict following the nine-day trial. While Rosemond has already been serving a life sentence for an unrelated drug-trafficking conviction since 2013. The East Flatbush, Brooklyn representative has reportedly been seeking a new trial in that conviction since 2013.
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During the 2000s, the now 53-year-old Rosemond was The Game’s manager. For a time, Czar Entertainment also handled the careers of Gucci Mane, Akon, and Guerilla Black. Fifteen years ago, he founded the company’s label division with Groove Theory’s Bryce Wilson. Notably, Czar’s West 25th Street Manhattan offices were just blocks from 50 Cent’s G-Unit headquarters on West 31st Street.
In March of 2007, during a period of beef between 50 Cent and Rosemond’s client, The Game, the latter’s then-14-year-old son was walking to Czar’s offices, reportedly on an internship. While reportedly wearing a “G-Unot” t-shirt–part of a campaign orchestrated by Rosemond and The Game at the time, he was allegedly physically assaulted by G-Unit group member and label artist Tony Yayo and Lodi Mack. Yayo was arrested on charges of harassment and endangering the welfare of a child. Those charges were later dismissed, according to Complex, in a plea deal to a lesser, noncriminal harassment charge. The Queens, New York rapper served 10 days of community service and no jail time.
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At trial, Tony Yayo’s legal team declared his innocence. “As I told you from the beginning, Tony Yayo did not hit anyone and would never do anything to harm a child,” attorney Scott Leemon wrote in a statement. Later, the statement also said, “All that Tony Yayo admitted to doing was getting out of the car and glaring at the victim. Once he realized what Fletcher was doing, he went and grabbed Fletcher to pull him away from the victim.”
In February of 2008, MTV reported that Lodi Mack pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child and was sentenced to nine months in prison.” That time ran concurrently with a narcotics conviction the 32-year-old was serving at the time. Two weeks after his prison release Lodi Mack was murdered in the Bronx, New York.
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Prosecutors argued before a judge that Jimmy Henchman recruited a crew of men to kill Mack. He allegedly provided them with cocaine as compensation for the murder. Two of those men, Brian McCleod and Derrick Grant, testified that they murdered Fletcher for one kilogram of coke, with two associates of Rosemond’s watching.
Yesterday’s verdict is the fourth time this case has gone to trial. According to The Source, the first ended in a hung jury. The last two verdicts, both ending with life sentences, were appealed. The third was one year ago this month.
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In a public letter addressed to his now-grown son and published at AllHipHop, Henchman maintains his innocence. “Sleep with a sound conscious knowing your father is not a murderer and you are not the blame for my incarceration. This is bigger than me or you. I too am a casualty,” he wrote. “After three trials for this murder not one of the governments embellishing witnesses said that I told them to murder Lowell Fletcher; in fact, Brian McCleod, Khalil Abdullah and Jason Williams respectively stated they never had a conversation about the murder.” Near his closing the exec wrote, “I continue to maintain my innocence. There is a sickness in this system. My trial was covered up and drown out with unrelated shootings, Hip-Hop gang fairy tales and non-existing ‘Rap wars’ that never existed.”
Before Czar, Rosemond co-created How Can I Be Down?, an annual music conference. Through Henchman Entertainment, the New Yorker had worked with artists including Salt-n-Pepa, The Fugees, Lil Shawn, and some of Bad Boy’s Hitmen. He also was backing San Diego, California MC Jayo Felony at a time when the former Def Jam Records artist was dissing JAY-Z.
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Author: Bandini
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