Stylist Law Roach For The Hollywood Reporter - Most Powerful Stylists Issue 2021!
The only person capable of outshining both Zendaya and Anya Taylor-Joy in the fashion department is the Image Architect behind their looks, Law Roach. And that’s exactly what he did on the cover of (and subsequent spread in) The Hollywood’s Reporter’s Most Powerful Stylists of 2021 edition, which came out on Wednesday.
The fashion stylist — who has also worked with Kerry Washington, Priyanka Chopra, Celine Dion, and more of fashion’s biggest names — was awarded "Top Stylist of the Year," making him the first Black stylist to take home the title. (Law first made history with the publication in 2017, when he became the first Black stylist on the issue’s cover, though he was ranked 21st that year.) To mark the occasion, Roach decked himself out in gold Valentino Haute Couture for the shoot.
“The little Black boy who wore couture,” Law captioned a photo of his windswept Valentino look — sound familiar? — on Instagram, tagging the brand’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli. “Thank you Hollywood Reporter for letting me make history as the first Black stylist to be named Top Stylist of the Year.”
For the issue’s cover, Law changed out of the golden coat-heels combo and slipped into Louis Vuitton instead: He styled a white tuxedo jacket with a red, plaid kilt, pairing the ensemble with Christian Louboutin patent leather boots and Harry Winston jewelry. While posing for the shot, he enlisted Taylor-Joy in Dior and Zendaya in Valentino. (Casual.)
“Thank you to my Zendaya and Anya Taylor-Joy for making this cover so special,” he captioned a photo of it on his Instagram. “And thank you to all my clients for trusting me with something so important as your image!!!! I’m truly grateful.”
In 2021 alone, Law's work went viral on more occasions than we can count. There was Zendaya's September InStyle cover, which featured all Black designers, makeup artists, and hairstylists; the Euphoria star's polka-dot Armani Privé gown from the Emmys, which she wore to become the youngest person to ever take home the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama; and, of course, her Cher-inspired dress from the Oscars. Also: TikTok phenomenon Addison Rae's '70s-style Glamour cover, as well as Taylor-Joy's über-glamorous custom Dior gown from the Golden Globes.
Read the interview with Roach and see the rest of the list — which also includes stylists Zerina Akers, Wayman + Micah, and Jason Bolden, among others — here.
#RHOA: Kandi Burruss Says She Contemplates Leaving ‘RHOA’ After 12 Seasons!
Another “Real Housewives of Atlanta” veteran may be calling it quits soon. Kandi Burruss opened up about whether she’ll leave the Bravo reality show after starring on it for 12 seasons.
“You just contemplate, like, I don’t know, ‘When is your time?'” she told The Jasmine Brand on Thursday. “It’s not like it’s not like a definite answer, you know what I mean.”
Burruss, 44, said she does “enjoy being a part of the show” but admitted, “It is stressful at times. It is a lot going on, you know, but I do love the fans. I love the support of the fans.”
The singer — who joined the series during Season 2 and later landed spinoffs including “The Kandi Factor” and “Kandi’s Skip Trip” — has been weighing her options for a while now.
In April, she told Access Hollywood that she has been considering leaving “RHOA,” noting that she would want her departure to be on good terms.
“I’m always contemplating when is my time for me to make a move,” she said. “For me, I’ve had a great relationship with the network, so I don’t think it will ever be a situation where it would be a bad thing — at least, I hope it wouldn’t be.”
“RHOA” most recently had a casting shake-up in September 2020 when original “Housewife” NeNe Leakes announced she would not be returning for the show’s 13th season.
#New Music From Teedra Moses – ‘Make Me’!
Teedra Moses keeps the good vibes going with her new single “Make Me”. The soulful record is the follow up to her previous record “Cashmere Compliments”.
LISTEN HERE
Teedra is currently putting the final touches on her upcoming album “The Bullshit” which is set to come out this summer. The album will 2015 album “Cognac & Conversation”.
Be on the lookout for more from Teedra.
#HipHopNews: Nicki Minaj’s ‘Llc’ Hits No. 1 After Fan Campaign!
Nicki Minaj may not have released any music this year, but that hasn’t stopped her from earning a No. 1 single.
On Friday, the rap queen’s song “LLC” off her 2018 album Queen hit No. 1 on the U.S. iTunes Hip-Hop/Rap chart thanks to Minaj’s loyal Barbz, who organized an “LLC Party” on social media to encourage others to stream and download the song. Their efforts helped make the three-year-old track a trending topic and propel it to the top spot. It is also currently No. 3 on the iTunes overall chart, a testament to the power of the Barbz.
“WE DID THIS OUT LF LOVE AND APPRECIATION FOR REAL TALENT,” wrote one fan.
“LLC” is a fan favorite off Queen. Although it wasn’t an official single, fans hoped to shine a spotlight on the underappreciated track.
Minaj, who has been absent from social media since January, has not acknowledged the feat. It’s been over a year since she released her last solo track, “Yikes.”
Meanwhile, anticipation continues to grow for her fifth studio album and her upcoming docuseries for HBO Max.
Olympics Committee Accused of Racism for “Black Lives Matter” Ban at Tokyo Games!
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) this week reaffirmed a contentious rule that bans athletes from engaging in political speech or silent acts of protest, specifically stating that the phrase “Black Lives Matter” would be banned at this year’s games in Tokyo, Japan.
Taking a knee or lifting a fist in support of racial equality during the games would not be allowed, the IOC said. Athletes would also be barred from wearing shirts or other apparel with the phrase “Black Lives Matter” on them.
Details were scant on how protests or political actions may be punished, but athletes competing in the Olympics can face punishment from one or more of three separate bodies: the IOC itself, the governing body of their specific sport, and their home country’s Olympic committee.
The decision is based on the IOC reaffirming Rule 50 of the games, which restricts any type of “demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda” by athletes at Olympic venues.
“The aim of Rule 50 is to ensure that each and every athlete can experience the Olympic Games without any divisive disruption,” the IOC’s website says.
The governing authority of the games based its choice to uphold Rule 50 in part on a survey it sent out to athletes and organizations, IOC Athletes’ Commission chief Kirsty Coventry explained, noting that a majority of responses were in favor of keeping the rule in place.
“I would not want something to distract from my competition and take away from that,” Coventry, herself a former Olympic athlete, added. “That is how I still feel today.”
Despite the survey that the IOC cited for making its decision, several sports organizations spoke out against it. Global Athlete, a progressive athlete start-up movement, took note of the survey in April and released a statement at the time decrying the idea that a person’s human rights might be determined by a vote.
“One cannot survey how people feel about human rights and freedom of expression,” said Global Athlete member Caradh O’Donovan, an Irish Karate athlete and a world champion kickboxer. “These types of surveys only empower the majority when it is the minority that want and need to be heard.”
Citing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Global Athlete added in its statement that “the Olympic podium is a media of communication to the world, and the Olympic frontier cannot be a barrier to human rights.”
Responding to the IOC’s decision, Brendan Schwab, executive director of The World Players Association, said that the organization would support athletes who still planned to protest. “Any athlete sanctioned at the Tokyo Olympics will have the full backing of the World Players,” Schwab said.
Some on social media accused the IOC of racism for its decision to take direct action against athletes who may have planned to highlight “Black Lives Matter” at the games.
The IOC “specifically deciding that Olympians can’t wear [Black Lives Matter] attire or ‘protest’ on the podium is for what reason other than racism?” asked Shahara’Tova Dente, an English instructor at the University of Alabama, in a tweet. “Seriously needing an answer as to why that was a necessary focus when the whole Olympics was postponed because of a damn pandemic.”
Color of Change, a racial justice organization, also condemned the decision by the IOC. Their policies “are a direct assault on the free expression of Black athletes by a commission that includes no Black members,” the group noted.
Snoop Dogg Asks For Prayers For His Mother!
Snoop Dogg is asking fans to send their positive thoughts and prayers to his mother, Beverly Tate. On Friday (May 7) the 49-year-old rapper shared a picture of his mom on Instagram and asked for help from all “prayer warriors.”
“Need all my prayer warriors for momma right now please and thank you,” Snoop captioned the post.
Snoop first alerted his fans about his mother’s wellbeing on Wednesday (May 5). “Sending special prayers out for my mom this morning y’all pray for her and me,” he wrote about his mom, who is 70 years old.
The Long Beach native didn’t offer any further details about what might be going on, but fans and former collaborators have sent their love on social media. Busta Rhymes commented several prayer hands emojis on Snoop’s post and DJ D-Nice wrote, “Prayers up, brother.”
Snoop has a close relationship with his mother that he’s often shared with fans on social media. While appearing on Jada Pinkett Smith’s Facebook show “Red Table Talk” last year, he revealed that it was his mom who inspired him to apologize to CBS host Gayle King after he criticized her in light of comments she made about Kobe Bryant.
“She didn’t say I was wrong she just said, ‘You know I raised you better than that. You’re a representation of us. Every woman that ever crossed your life, you’re a representation of that’ – so I got it,” he said on the show.
Snoop said his mother also convinced him to post an apology video to King on Instagram.
Last Mother’s Day, the veteran rapper paid tribute to both his mom and wife Shante Taylor in posts on Instagram.
“Thank. U. Momma. Happy Mother’s Day!” he captioned a photo of his mother.
Bo Obama, White House Family Dog Dies From Cancer!
Former President Barack Obama’s dog Bo died Saturday after a battle with cancer, the Obamas said on social media.
News of Bo's passing was shared by Obama and his wife Michelle on Instagram, where both expressed sorrow at the passing of a dog the former president described as a “true friend and loyal companion.”
“He tolerated all the fuss that came with being in the White House, had a big bark but no bite, loved to jump in the pool in the summer, was unflappable with children, lived for scraps around the dinner table, and had great hair,” Barack Obama wrote.
Bo, a Portuguese water dog, was a gift to the Obamas from the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., a key supporter of Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign who became close to the family. Bo helped Obama keep a promise to daughters Malia and Sasha that they could get a dog after the election.
A companion dog, Sunny, joined the family in August 2013.
Both were constant presences around the White House and popular among visitors there, often joining the Obamas for public events. The dogs entertained crowds at the annual Easter Egg Roll and Bo occasionally joined Mrs. Obama to welcome tourists. The dogs also cheered wounded service members, as well as hospitalized children the first lady would visit each year just before Christmas.
In a post featuring a slideshow of images of Bo — including one of him sitting behind the president’s Resolute Desk in the Oval Office — Mrs. Obama recounted his years bringing some levity to the White House.
“He was there when Barack and I needed a break, sauntering into one of our offices like he owned the place, a ball clamped firmly in his teeth. He was there when we flew on Air Force One, when tens of thousands flocked to the South Lawn for the Easter Egg Roll, and when the Pope came to visit,” she wrote.
Mrs. Obama wrote that she was grateful for the time the family got to spend with him due to the pandemic, and said that over the past year, “no one was happier than Bo.”
“All his people were under one roof again,” she wrote.
LaKeith Stanfield Releases Apology for Moderating Anti-Semitic Clubhouse Chat!
*Actor LaKeith Stanfield is seriously catching it because he was involved in a Clubhouse discussion about Louis Farrakhan’s anti-Semitism that devolved into a cesspool of hateful conspiracy theories and comments about Jewish people.
The recently Oscar-nominated actor (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) was a moderator for a discussion on the Clubhouse app Wednesday night, and although he’s not accused of spewing any anti-Semitic speech himself … many are outraged he did nothing to speak out against it either.
Stanfield confessed that he lacked knowledge about “the origins of Judaism in Jewishness,” but suggested he enjoys Clubhouse because he learns a lot from it.
“I’ve been in a couple rooms where a lot of s**t has been discussed and talked about, very heightened emotional states. It’s been very enlightening and interesting.”
Stanfield apologized Saturday for his participation in and moderation of that now very controversial Clubhouse chat, saying he condemns “hate speech and discriminatory views of every kind.”
“Yesterday I entered an online chat room on Clubhouse about the teachings of Louis Farrakhan. When the room’s participants noticed me, I was quickly made a moderator of this room,” he said in a statement posted to Instagram. “At some point during the dialogue the discussion took a very negative turn when several users made abhorrent anti-Semitic statements and at that point, I should have either shut down the discussion or removed myself from it entirely. I condemn hate speech and discriminatory views of every kind. I unconditionally apologize for what went on in that chat room, and for allowing my presence there to give a platform to hate speech. I am not an anti-Semite nor do I condone any of the beliefs discussed in that chat room.”
Beyonce to be Inducted Into Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in Atlanta!
*Beyonce is set to be inducted in the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in Atlanta.
Per press release, the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame (BMEWOF) will officially induct its inaugural class of honorees this June, during Black Music Month. The formal induction ceremony will take place in Atlanta, GA on June 17, 2021.
The inaugural class of inductees was selected from the BMEWOF’s list of 38 nominees in the categories of Foundational Inductees, Legacy Artists, Mainstream Mogul, Gospel Female, Gospel Male, HipHop Female, HipHop Male, Mainstream Female and Mainstream Male.
The BMEWOF Foundational Inductees are James Brown, Otis Redding, Quincy D. Jones, and Stevie Wonder. They will be joined by Michael Jackson (Legacy Artists), Sean Love Combs (Mainstream Mogul), Shirley Caesar (Gospel Female), Kirk Franklin (Gospel Male), Missy Elliott (Hip Hop Female), Outkast (Hip Hop Male), Beyoncé (Mainstream Female), and Usher Raymond IV (Mainstream Male).
Dan Levy Hilariously Responds to Schitt's Creek Fan Who Falsely Mourned His Dad Eugene's Death!
One Schitt's Creek fan is feeling "so embarrassed" after falsely tweeting that beloved actor Eugene Levy—who plays Rose family patriarch Johnny—had passed away.
The viewer wrote, "Eugene Levy was such a gift. It's so sad to watch knowing he is no longer here."
Twitter users immediately reacted to the post, with one joking, "@danjlevy You may want to sit down for this."
Eugene's son and co-star, Dan Levy, swiftly set the record straight about the fake claims, writing, "News to me."
The social media user deleted the original tweet and apologized directly to Dan for the faux pas. "@danjlevy I'm sooo sorry! I thought he had passed last year," the fan wrote. "Everything has been such a blur the last year. I'm happy to know he's fine. I'm so embarrassed."
A second tweet continued, "Sorry all I seriously thought he had passed. I'm glad I am wrong. I was sitting here watching the show super sad." Dan has yet to respond to her apology note.
One Twitter user guessed that the incorrect tweet probably gave Dan a "Minor heart attack," prompting the original poster to say, "I feel horrible" about the "honest mistake."
When another user asked if the O.P. had been "drinking heavily," the fan commented, "No, but I am very sleep deprived." They later admitted they confused Eugene with Fred Willard, who died in May 2020 at age 86.
For dedicated Schitt's Creek viewers, the awkward encounter felt like one big case of déjà vu. Recall in season four of the comedy series, news spreads online that Moira (Catherine O'Hara) has died, prompting daughter Alexis (Annie Murphy) to run into her mom's adjacent motel room and exclaim, "Oh, thank god! The internet thinks you're dead!"
Moira remarks, "I'm standing right here!" When she asked why people are believing the rumors, David (Dan) adds, "Well, it doesn't help that Alexis tweeted, 'Goodbye to a great actress' with a cool sunglasses emoji."
Luckily in both cases, Mr. and Mrs. Rose are alive and well.
Chris Brown’s Birthday Bash Gets Shut Down After Loud Music Complaints!
Chris Brown threw a huge birthday party that ended up being shut down by Tarzana police.
Breezy just turned 32, and to celebrate, he threw a massive birthday party at his Tarzana home. Police responded to loud music complaints after the partying continued into the early hours of the morning. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, they were able to get in touch with someone at the home who agreed to turn the music down.
When police went to Brown’s home, there were at least 300 cars parked in the front of Brown’s home, ABC 7 reports. Guests who attended the party were reportedly cooperative when police started shutting the party down. The news outlet reports that no one was arrested.
On Wednesday, an invitation to Brown’s party was posted on his Instagram account.
Mariah Carey Reacts To Rapper Sampling 'Shake It Off' Without Her Clearance!
Mariah Carey isn’t playing around. On (May 7), a Twitter user who goes by @rnbtommy issued a seemingly innocuous challenge to the elusive chanteuse, giving her “24 hours to respond” to a now-viral clip of a rapper named YTK performing his song “Let It Off.” Sure, the challenge in itself may have been more or less a joke, so what’s the big deal?
Well, for starters, the song outright poaches the beat from Carey’s 2005 hit single “Shake It Off” — and without her clearance, no less. Not to mention, YTK mimics Carey’s entire cadence on his interpretation of the song while flashing firearms with his crew in the music video.
“How about y'all have 24 hours to respond to my lawyers,” the pop star wrote back with a purple heart for added effect, making the threat even more ominous because fans can't tell whether to call her bluff. (We wouldn’t.)
Let this instance remind you to be careful what you wish for because Carey eventually did respond — and it looks like things could get ugly.
Still, some fans thought MiMi’s response was a little harsh, while others took her side in the matter.
“Support black business? Idk ik it’s your song ma’am but you can’t let them have some fun? It was a lil bop,” one user tweeted, as poet Danez Smith pled, “MARIAH PLS! ITS A HOOD BOP! YOU KNOW YOU LOVE HOOD N—S!”
Another user quipped, “What I love about Mariah Carey is I have no idea she’s either teasing or she’s serious here.”
Kim Zolciak’s ‘Don’t Be Tardy’ Reality Show Canceled After 8 Seasons!
Kim Zolciak-Biermann’s time on reality TV has come to a screeching halt. TMZ just reported that the family’s spin-off show ‘Don’t Be Tardy’ will not be renewed for a 9th season. Bravo heads have reportedly decided not to move forward with filming and production feel like the show has run its course.
The show debuted in 2012 as Kim Zolciak-Biermann, and her husband Kroy Biermann prepared to ‘tie the knot.’
Due to the pandemic, the most recent season delayed its premiere for 3 months. Now, the show is getting the boot altogether. Check out the trailer for Don’t Be Tardy’s last season.
Kim Zolciak-Biermann, her family nor her team, have made any announcements confirming or denying the cancellation news. We’ll stay tuned for any updates and keep you posted.
Their show was the very first spin-off reality tv show from The Real Housewives of Atlanta. She starred in RHOA from seasons 1 thru 5, and then returned as a friend of the show in season 10.
What are your thoughts about Kim Zolciak’s spin-off show getting canceled?
6IX9INE Banned From Meek Mill’s Birthday!
Meek Mill celebrated his 34th birthday on Friday, but there was one person not on the guest list.
The Philly rapper was in Miami during his “Meekend” takeover, which kicked off with a huge party at LIV Nightclub. While the guest list was long, the club hosting the bash made sure that 6ix9ine wasn’t invited.
A source at LIV tells TMZ that the venue was prepared to turn away the rainbow-haired rapper, who was also in town for the weekend. It appeared that the party went off without incident and 6ix9ine was a no show, but the club wasn’t willing to take any chances.
While Tekashi wasn’t in attendance, Meek turned up with friends including Rick Ross, Nav, and Winnie Harlow.
Tekashi has a reputation for being an instigator. In February, he and Meek came face to face outside an Atlanta nightclub. During their heated exchange, Meek claims 6ix9ine ran up on him and tried to provoke a fight “for the love of a viral moment.” Meek says he spat on him and “almost smoked him” before he retreated.
Just days later, 6ix9ine released his “ZAZA” music video featuring footage from his confrontation with Meek, prompting Meek’s lawyers to send a cease and desist letter to Tekashi threatening legal action if the video was not removed from YouTube.
Pop Smoke Was Murdered By 15-Year-Old Shooter Who Admitted Slaying To Detention Center Cellmate: Detective Testifies!
Pop Smoke was gunned down by a 15-year-old shooter who ambushed the Brooklyn rapper in Los Angeles last year with a group of teens bent on stealing his diamond-studded Rolex, a detective testified Friday.
The home intruders who stormed the Canarsie-bred rapper’s Airbnb rental in the Hollywood Hills also were after his Cuban link chain but only managed to swipe the luxury timepiece, which they later resold for just $2,000, the investigator said.
The trigger teen, the youngest of the four defendants now facing murder and robbery charges in the case, allegedly admitted his role in the slaying during a recorded interview with a cellmate at a juvenile detention center last May.
“He admitted that he shot the victim three times with a Baretta 9 (mm.),” LAPD Det. Carlos Camacho testified Friday at a preliminary hearing for a different suspect, Corey Walker, 20, the sole adult defendant in the high-profile prosecution.
The 15-year-old alleged shooter “admitted that they asked for the jewelry” and then had “a confrontation” with Pop Smoke during the 4 a.m. home invasion on Feb. 19, 2020, the detective said.
“They got into a fight, and he shot him three times,” Camacho said, citing the youngest defendant’s recorded jail interview. “He said he shot him on the back.”
Pop Smoke was kicked on ground after being shot: witness »
Walker, 20, has pleaded not guilty.
According to Camacho, Walker similarly confessed to his role in the deadly confrontation during a separate, secretly recorded jailhouse interview with a different informant placed in his cell after his July arrest.
Walker allegedly admitted the group used ski masks, gloves and a police scanner to try to evade detection.
“He said that when the individuals got inside, the suspects confronted (Pop Smoke), who was in the shower naked,” Camacho testified.
Smoke’s jewelry, which he was still wearing, and even said “Thank you” when it appeared he was complying, Camacho said.
But the rapper, born Bashar Barakah Jackson, decided to fight back and “rushed” the intruders, who “pistol whipped” him before the 15-year-old suspect shot him in the chest, Camacho said, citing Walker’s account.
After Deputy District Attorney Hilary Williams called her last witness for the preliminary hearing Friday afternoon, Walker’s defense lawyer Christopher Darden made a motion to have Walker’s murder charge dismissed.
He argued Walker was only the driver that night, never entered the house and even told the younger defendants not to shoot anybody.
“He’s clearly not an aider and abettor of premeditated murder,” Darden argued. “At most, he’s a principal in a robbery... He’s a driver. He is outside.”
Williams responded by arguing Walker had scouted the house hours earlier and knew his co-defendants planned to rob Pop Smoke at gunpoint to obtain the items he flashed in his Instagram photos.
“They specifically target this house wanting this victim to be there,” she argued, saying Walker’s actions showed a “reckless indifference to human life.”
Judge H. Clay Jacke II denied Darden’s request to reduce the charges and ruled there was “sufficient cause” to send Walker to trial. Walker is due back in court June 3 for rearraignment.
Public testimony in the case started Thursday with two LAPD detectives giving the first detailed account of what allegedly happened.
Det. Christian Carrasco testified Thursday that a woman who was with Pop Smoke in the rented home’s second-story bedroom recalled seeing a group of men storm through curtains from a balcony accessible by a backyard staircase.
One of the men allegedly pressed a black semiautomatic firearm to her forehead and shouted, “Shut the f--k up. Do you want to die?”
“She heard a struggle coming from the shower area and heard Mr. Jackson screaming. Mr. Jackson ran out of the bathroom and then she heard a loud pop and [heard] Mr. Jackson fall to the ground,” the detective said.
“Two other individuals began to kick him,” Carrasco said, citing the woman’s testimony.
Upon hearing her son was kicked, Jackson’s mother, Audrey Jackson, was visibly upset.
Similarly on Friday, Jackson’s dad Greg Jackson let out an audible gasp when he heard the killing was over a $2,000 payday.
“I didn’t know any of this. It’s all new. I just knew my boy was gone,” Audrey Jackson told the Daily News after the hearing ended Friday.
“Now it really feels like he’s not coming back,” she said, tears welling in her eyes.
“I don’t know what I thought being here would do. I thought something would happen that would help me feel differently. But to hear they kicked him when he was down. It’s so disrespectful and dishonorable. There was no honor in this. And the irony in this is that those same kids are the kids he said he made music for,” she shared.
“There need to be consequences, sufficient consequences,” she said. “But as a people, we have work to do. Our children are killing each other. This just makes absolutely no sense to me.”
Pop Smoke was a fast-rising rap star known for his gravelly voice and inventive take on drill music when he died at age 20, just weeks away from finishing his debut studio album.
Doctors rushed him into a major surgery called a “left thoracotomy,” but he suffered a “rapid” decline and couldn’t be saved, his death certificate said.
According to the law enforcement officials who testified, all four defendants were members of the same street gang and only learned of Pop Smoke’s whereabouts from his Instagram account.
They were able to see the address of the rapper’s Airbnb on a gift bag label and also that he had stack of cash with him in one photo. The cash was later found still inside a drawer at the rental home, according to testimony Friday.
When the rapper’s “Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon” was released in July, it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with fellow rap stars Roddy Ricch, DaBaby, Lil Baby, Future, Quavo and Swae Lee listed as guest performers.
It was a massive hit, spawning multiple international top-10 singles including the R&B inspired track “What You Know Bout Love,” which also became a Top 10 song of the year on TikTok.
If convicted as charged, Walker would be eligible for the death penalty, the Los Angeles County district attorney said.
After Death Row Inmate Is Executed, Attorneys Find DNA That Belongs To Someone Else!
A Black man was executed in Lincoln County, Arkansas, in 2017 despite the fact he maintained his innocence the whole time.
The Innocence Project and ACLU argued that there was “DNA evidence that likely belonged to the killer and had never been tested with modern technology.”
According to PEOPLE, Ledell Lee was arrested and convicted in the 1993 murder of Debra Reese, 26, who was found dead inside her home. She had been strangled and beaten to death.
Neighbors told police that they saw Lee going in and out of Reese’s home.
It’s been four years since Lee was executed, and now an attorney with the Innocence Project says DNA testing from the murder weapon indicates someone other than Lee committed the crime.
“While the results obtained 29 years after the evidence was collected proved to be incomplete and partial, it is notable that there are now new DNA profiles that were not available during the trial or post-conviction proceedings in Mr. Lee’s case,” said Nina Morrison, senior litigation counsel at the Innocence Project, in a statement obtained by The Washington Post.
Lee’s first trial ended in a hung jury. He was later tried again and found guilty. He was sentenced to death in 1995.
In an attempt to overturn his execution, the Innocence Project and ACLU came forward with flaws they found in the evidence used against Lee, which included “DNA evidence that likely belonged to the killer and had never been tested with modern technology.”
“The courts refused to hear any new evidence or allow DNA testing before executing Lee, who was one of eight people scheduled for execution in rapid succession because of the state’s expiring supply of execution drugs,” the release stated.
Earlier this week, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson stated that it was his job to carry out the law following the jury’s guilty verdict that was based upon the information that they had, the governor said during a press conference.
The state’s attorney general, Leslie Rutledge, also stood behind the state’s decision to execute Lee.
“The courts consistently rejected Ledell Lee’s frivolous claims because the evidence demonstrated beyond any shadow of a doubt that he murdered Debra Reese by beating her to death inside her home with a tire thumper,” she said in a statement obtained by the Democrat-Gazette. “I am prayerful that Debra’s family has had closure following his lawful execution in 2017.”
However, Lee’s sister vows to one day exonerate her brother and claims the day Reese was killed. He was with her.
“My family has been unable to rest … knowing that my brother was murdered by the state of Arkansas for a crime we believe he did not commit,” said Lee’s sister Patricia Young following his execution in a statement on the ACLU’s site. “What happened to Debra Reese is horrible, and we keep her family in our prayers. But I was with Ledell the day this murder happened, and I do not see how he could have done this. If Ledell is innocent, then the person who did this has never been caught. All we want is to finally learn the truth.”
Andrew Brown, Jr.’s Attorneys Want District Attorney To Recuse Himself From Case!
Attorneys for the family of Andrew Brown, Jr., the North Carolina man fatally shot by deputies, have called for a local district attorney to recuse himself from the case.
According to CNN, the team cited “well-defined” conflicts between the prosecutor and the sheriff’s office.
Brown was fatally shot by Pasquotank County sheriff’s deputies on April 21. The sheriff’s office says authorities were attempting to serve him with an arrest warrant.
Andrew Womble is the district attorney for Pasquotank and nearby counties. He’s claimed that Brown’s car made contact with officers twice before the deputies opened fire. However, Brown’s family attorneys dispute that claim.
“There is no doubt all seven officers involved, including the three shooters, have worked directly with you and your office for years in prosecuting various cases,” the family attorneys wrote in a letter to Womble on Wednesday.
The seven involved have been placed on administrative leave, even those that didn’t discharge their firearm. Two officers have resigned, and one deputy retired following the tragedy.
Family attorney Bakari Sellers sent a letter asking that “in the interest of fairness, transparency, and pursuit of the ends of justice,” Womble move the case to another jurisdiction and “immediately recuse yourself.”
“You and your office not only work with Sheriff Wooten and his deputies daily, your office physically resides in the Pasquotank County Sheriff’s department,” the attorneys wrote. “The conflict is well-defined.”
AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
THE WALMART OPOSSUM OF NORTH CAROLINA
Nice pet!
HAVE A GREAT WEEK AHEAD ALL!!!
EFREM
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