Torrence Hatch, better known as rapper Lil’ Boosie, has been acquitted of first degree murder charges in a Baton Rouge court following six days of testimony and only one hour of deliberation from the jury.
On Thursday, the prosecution finished its case and Boosie’s defense opted to not call any witnesses, telling NBC33 that they didn’t believe the state had proved his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Supporters outside the court reacted with tears and applause upon hearing the not guilty verdict.
Boosie was accused of hiring Michael Louding, aka Marlo Mike, to kill Terry Boyd in 2009. The prosecution called nearly 30 witnesses during the trial, including Louding who earlier had admitted his involvement to authorities. However, he changed his story again in court on Monday, saying he had been coerced by detectives to give a confession.
Louding, who is accused of six different murders in Baton Rouge, had earlier told detectives that Lil Boosie paid him $2,800 to commit the murder.
Prosecutors also made an issue of Boosie’s often violent lyrics in his songs and Judge Mike Erwin ruled at a pre-trial hearing on April 24 that a select few could be used against him. His song, “187,” in particular, was under a lot of scrutiny. Lil’ Boosie recorded the controversial track with BG, another Louisiana rapper who has had his fair share of legal trouble.
“Any n___a who ever tried to play me, they dead now,” Boosie raps in his first verse. The prosecution specifically noted the use of “187,” “murk,” and “cake” as slang terms commonly used to describe murder and money. The judge ruled that those three specific words could be used as evidence against Boosie.
Boosie is currently serving a sentence at Angola correctional facility for a drug charge.