Names and faces
■ A Pennsylvania appeals court on Wednesday overturned rapper Meek Mill’s conviction in a drug and gun case that has kept the rapper on probation for a decade and made him a celebrity crusader for criminal-justice changes. The unanimous three-judge opinion granted the rapper a new trial because of new evidence of alleged police corruption and said he would likely be acquitted if the case were retried. “We conclude the after-discovered evidence is of such a strong nature and character that a different verdict will likely result at a retrial,” the opinion from the Pennsylvania Superior Court said. The 32-year-old entertainer, whose real name is Robert Rihmeek Williams, said he was “ecstatic that justice prevailed,” adding that “Unfortunately, millions of people are dealing with similar issues in our country and don’t have the resources to fight back like I did. We need to continue supporting them.” He called the legal ordeal “mentally and emotionally challenging.” The court also overturned the trial judge’s parole-violation findings that sent the entertainer back to prison in 2017 for five months. And, in a rare move, the court pulled her off the case. Common Pleas Judge Genece Brinkley had kept Williams on probation for 10 years, stemming from his arrest in 2007 at age 19 on charges that he pointed a gun at police, which he has denied. He has been called back to court repeatedly over technical violations of his parole, many of them involving travel issues as he has risen to fame under the mentorship of music mogul Jay-Z. Williams became a symbol for those calling for criminal-justice changes after Brinkley sent him back to prison in 2017. District Attorney Larry Krasner said Wednesday that his office needs time to decide whether to drop the case.
■ A Texas teenager who rapped under the name Tay-K has been sentenced to 55 years in prison for the 2016 shooting death of a man during a home invasion. A jury in Fort Worth convicted 19-yearold Tay-K, whose real name is Taymor McIntyre, last week for his role in the death of 21-year-old Ethan Walker. On Tuesday, the jury deliberated for about three hours before sentencing McIntyre to 55 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The Star-Telegram reported that McIntyre has appealed his conviction and sentence. The man who shot Walker was sentenced last year to life in prison. Prosecutors have said McIntyre was charged with murder because he recruited the triggerman and organized the robbery. He was 16 when the killing occurred but was tried as an adult. McIntyre’s 2017 single “The Race” appeared on Billboard’s Hot 100.