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Snoop Dogg beat his murder allegations three decades ago, but now he can truly put the tumultuous case behind him.
According to a report TMZ published on Wednesday, October 9, the West Coast legend's 1993 murder charge has been sealed. Snoop's legal team filed a petition to have all records regarding the rapper's arrest on a first-degree murder charge locked away earlier this year. When a case is sealed, records for specific cases cannot be accessed by the general public. The court approved the request in late February and sealed the documents before Snoop Dogg began covering the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Snoop Dogg's murder case was the talk of the town. He was arrested with his bodyguard after they were accused of fatally shooting alleged rival gang member Philip Woldermariam in August 1993. Police alleged the bodyguard McKinley Lee fired the deadly shots at Woldermariam from a car that the rapper, born Calvin Broadus, was driving. Snoop knew the charges were bogus and even rapped about it on his hit song "Murder Was The Case." He was arrested shortly after he performed the song at the 1993 MTV Awards.
Broadus and Lee were charged with murder and they pleaded not guilty. Famed attorney Johnnie Cochran defended Broadus and Lee during the trial, which became a media spectacle. Longtime fans will instantly remember Snoop's reaction when the jury acquitted both him and Lee of the murder charges in 1996.
The case and his not-guilty verdict helped change the course of his career. He went on to become one of the most famous rappers in the world with his most recent gig at the 2024 Summer Olympics Games and his upcoming role as a host for NBC' "The Voice." At one point, he and 50 Cent were in the process of making a TV series about the case during Fif's time working with Starz. Unfortunately, 50 Cent pulled the plug on the show after he claimed they "dropped the ball."