Rapper Mac Phipps recommended clemency after serving 20 years in prison
Family speaks to WDSU about the process moving forward, calling for criminal justice reform
NEW ORLEANS —
Sheila Phipps painted a portrait of her son McKinley in her Arabi arts studio and reflects on the last 21 years of his life - each one of those years has been spent in prison. Recently he was recommended clemency by the parole board after serving nearly 20 years of a 30-year sentence.
"It's been 21 years of fighting and crying, and getting back denials," says Sheila. "I felt at peace before his hearing. It just feels like it was time."
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In 2000, McKinley Phipps, Jr, also known as Mac, was a rising rap star signed to Master P's No Limit Records. While preparing to perform at a local club in St. Tammany Parish, a fight broke out and 19-year-old Barron Victor, Jr. was shot and killed. Despite the lack of evidence linking him to the shooting, McKinley was arrested for the crime and convicted of manslaughter. Since then, witnesses in the case have recanted their statements.
In April of 2016, Huffington Post obtained a copy of a
videotaped confession of a security guard at the club who told police he was the one who pulled the trigger. He was not charged.
Angelique Phipps, McKinley's wife, says the recent clemency recommendation is a cry for real criminal justice reform.
"I think McKinley's case can be that platform where we can examine those things, and how do we do better," says Phipps. "We desperately need to. This is a broken, broken system."
Mac's father, McKinley Sr., says the parole hearing was overwhelming for the whole family.
"We've waited for anything good to happen. Something. Anything small," he says. While he's elated to see his son home soon, he also still grieves for the victim. "I cried for Barron Victor, too. All he wanted to do was come to the show and have a good time. Out of nowhere, something bad happened."
Family members have visited Phipps, Jr. at five facilities during his 21 years in prison - St. Tammany Parish Jail, Concordia Parish Correctional (Ferriday), Winn Correctional Center (Winnfield), United States Penitentiary (Pollock, Grant Parish), and is currently at Elayn Hunt Correctional in Iberville Parish. He also has maintained a clean record while being incarcerated.
While his legal team in Louisiana continues to fight for his clemency, his attorney in Washington, DC is also working on a petition to reverse his conviction. Louisiana is now a unanimous jury state, and Phipps' conviction was ruled by a 10-2 jury.
"In Louisiana, that practice dated back to the state's 1898 Constitution, which was drafted by people who said their objective was to establish the supremacy of the white race," says Attorney Stanton Jones. "The state's lead witness at trial later recanted her testimony and says she was pressured to testify falsely against McKinley. You have a prosecutor who's served time in federal prison for fraud. The list goes on and on. Any one of these features of McKinley's case would alone be a travesty for justice."
Although the parole board has recommended clemency for Phipps, it still has to be approved by Gov. Edwards. If approved, Phipps will have another hearing, and if released, will spend a decade on parole.
Since Edwards has been in office, 273 clemency grants have been signed by him from 2016 to 2021 - compared to the 83 signed by former Gov. Bobby Jindal before leaving office in 2016.
