Photo: E+
San Francisco rapper, Mac Minister, was convicted of murder 16 years ago and sentenced to life behind bars. The prosecutors claimed Mac Minister did the killing in retaliation for the murder of Bay Area rap legend, Mac Dre. Now, it seems Mac Minister has the evidence to have his double homicide conviction overturned.
According to court documents, Mac Minister has filed for a new hearing after the witness who testified against him recanted. Antione Mouton, aka Antione Cantrell, wrote a statement claiming he lied to police and during Mac Minister's trial.
Andre Dow, whose rap name is Mac Minister, was convicted in Las Vegas for the murders of Anthony "Fat Tone" Watkins and Jermaine "Cowboy" Akins.
In July 2008, Dow was found guilty of two charges of first-degree murder and two counts of conspiracy to commit murder. He was given a double life sentence in prison.
Prosecutors claimed Mac Minister allegedly murdered Watkins and Akins in vengeance for the 2004 murder of Bay Area hip hop legend Mac Dre. Mac Minister's defense team believes he was convicted in part because of Mouton a.k.a. Cantrell's falsified testimony, which he now recants and evidence proves is false. Mac Minister also alleges prosecutors purposely withheld evidence contradicting the witness.
Mouton's statement reads
“My statements to law enforcement and testimony at Mr. Dow’s trial was false... I made the statements against Mr. Dow because I wanted to receive favorable treatment as a result of my other criminal cases. I believe I was approached by law enforcement in California after the death of Lee De’Nae Laursen because I knew Ms. Laursen and I believe that they may have located my contact information in her phone. After I was approached by law enforcement that is when I began to make the false statements against Mr. Dow.”
Mac Minister claims he has never met Mouton before. On the other hand, Mouton originally claimed Mac Minister confessed while speaking on a footbridge in Las Vegas on December 5th, 2005. Now, Mouton confirmed in his statement that he never met Mac Minister before and only knew of him because he was popular in music. He also confirmed that the two days which he testified Mac Minister confessed to the killings were blatant lies and actually impossible to have occurred. Mouton was actually incarcerated in Georgia on December 5th 2005!
I recant my testimony and statements that I am from the Fillmore neighborhood...I did not grow up with Andre Dow as a testified. I am from the Hunter’s Point neighborhood and did not grow up with Mr. Dow. I only knew who Mr. Dow was from his popularity in the music industry.
I also specifically recant my testimony that Mr. Dow told me ‘I don’t give a f### about the punk m############ that’s telling on me ‘cause around here m############ would come up missing, like that b####, that b#### n##### that did that s### to Dre’ or that ‘he didn’t give a f### about people that was telling on him or the dumb ass police that was looking for him.’ I made up those statements and that testimony was false.
Mac Minister's case was scheduled for a hearing on June 10th. Mac Minister is on Instagram updating everyone on his case. Give him a follow!