C-MURDER: Rapper Lives His Lyrics

Attempted Murder — More Charges

Judge Martha Sassone

Miller was in the process of being taken to the Jefferson Parish jail when Sassone intervened and ordered him returned home, according to unnamed sources quoted by the Times-Picayune. When Miller appeared in Sassone's court on June 6, he was ordered to pay his home incarceration fees in advance and police were ordered to "recalibrate" the electronic monitoring system they used to track Miller's movements.

On June 14 Sassone ordered Miller's case records sealed, and formally issued a gag order "preventing all counsel and parties from discussing or divulging any aspects of this case with anyone not a party. Two days later the Times-Picayune filed documents in Jefferson Parish's 24^th Judicial District Court challenging Sassone's decisions.

The newspaper sought access to all documents related to the case and attempted to compel Sassone to hold all proceedings in the case in open court. Most of the proceedings had been held in the privacy of her chambers. "Proceedings which are held in secret and without the light of publicity create a suspicion that evenhanded justice may not be administered," the newspaper's attorneys wrote in their motions. They also contended that Sassone's order to seal Miller's records "violates the public's right of access under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution," as well as federal and state laws.

The Times-Picayune sought to have Sassone consider their arguments before a hearing on Miller's home incarceration that was scheduled for June 20. That hearing was postponed.

In the meantime, Miller remains charged with attempted murder in a separate case in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. On August 14, 2001, Miller was accused of attempting to fire a gun at a security guard and the owner of a Baton Rouge nightclub where he was turned away. Miller reportedly refused to submit to a search for concealed weapons and, when ordered to leave, he allegedly attempted to shoot the guard and the owner who had been called onto the scene. Miller's gun reportedly misfired before he managed to squeeze off a shot that went harmlessly into the floor. The incident was captured on videotape, according to reports.

After a warrant was issued for his arrest, Miller turned himself in and was released on $100,000 bond. He has yet to stand trial on those charges. A hearing scheduled for May 30, 2006, was postponed indefinitely.

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1. The Music of
   the 'Hood
2. Life and Death
   in the 'Hood
3. Master P
4. An Entertainment Empire
5. See Murder
6. No Limits
7. "Living Out
   His Lyrics"
8. Murder at the Platinum Club
9. Busted
10. Threatening Witnesses
11. On Trial: The Prosecution Attacks — Part 1
12. On Trial: The Prosecution Attacks — Part 2
13. The Defense Makes its Case
14. Guilty!
15. More Charges & Surprises
16. Recanting & Special Favors
17. Records Expunged
18. New Trial Ordered
19. "The Truest
    S**t I Ever
    Said"
20. Sheriff "Pissed off"
21. More Twists & Turns
22. Taking it to
    the top
23. New Trial Ordered
    (Again!)
24. Home Incarceration
25. A New Trial
26. Home Incarceration Violations
27. Attempted Murder — More Charges
28. Retrial Date Set and Postponed
29. "Increasingly Bizarre"
30. Red-Carpet Treatment
31. New CDs and a Book
32. **NEW CHAPTER: Retrial & Verdict
33. Bibliography