Man who testified against brother in Ohio shooting of rapper TI’s crew pleads guilty
By APWednesday, October 28, 2009
Man pleads guilty in TI rap crew attack
CINCINNATI — The driver of a vehicle involved in an Ohio gun battle that killed a member of the rapper T.I.’s entourage during a wild highway chase has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and other charges.
Forty-one-year-old Padron Thomas was initially charged with murder. But he struck a deal with prosecutors that allowed him to plead to lesser charges in exchange for testifying in December against his brother, who pulled the trigger.
A judge on Wednesday scheduled a sentencing hearing for Nov. 17. Thomas faces 10 years in prison. He’s already serving 17 years on unrelated federal drug charges.
Thomas’s younger brother, Hosea Thomas, was sentenced to 66 years in prison for shooting Philant Johnson in May 2006 after a T.I. concert in Cincinnati.
Three others were injured in the shooting. The Grammy-winning Atlanta rapper wasn’t hurt.
Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer, www.enquirer.com
