Snoop Dogg’s 1993 Murder Case Record Sealed: A Victory Years in the Making
Snoop Dogg has reason to celebrate after a judge sealed the records on his 1993 murder charge.
According to reports, the West Coast icon has kept the matter quiet as the court ruled months ago. According to TMZ, Snoop petitioned to have the arrest records sealed back in January. The court granted his application a month later, officially sealing the murder charge.
Back in 1993, Snoop Dogg and his bodyguard, McKinley Lee, were charged with first-degree murder. They were accused of shooting and killing Philip Woldemariam, a 20-year-old alleged gang member, during a confrontation in the Palms neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Snoop Dogg was tried on first and second-degree murder charges in 1996. He remained free on a $1 million bail. After a lengthy trial, the rapper and his bodyguard were acquitted of murder. The jury accepted that Lee shot Woldemariam in self-defense.
Snoop Dogg’s legal troubles did not stop his career from flourishing. In fact, the case brought him even more attention. Snoop was crafting his debut album, Doggystyle, while awaiting trial. He released the single and accompanying 18-minute short film Murder Was The Case in 1994, directed by Dr. Dre and Fab Five Freddy.
Snoop Dogg – Murder Was The Case
In 2021, it was reported Snoop Dogg was working with Starz and 50 Cent on a series about the murder charges. However, just a month later, the G-Unit honcho revealed Starz had lost interest in the project.
Snoop Dogg, who’s currently a coach on season 27 of The Voice, is yet to comment on the news of his murder charge being sealed. However, he spoke to the LA Times following the acquittal in 1996.
“They made the right decision, you know what I’m saying?” he said. “This has been an ordeal that has affected our lives for the past 2 1/2 years. I was just trying to figure out if I was going to be here to raise my son.”