On 18th of February 2015, Andre Pickett the tour manager of Nicki Minaj was stabbed to death by Khaliyfa Neely. The incident took place outside a bar in the Germantown section of Philadelphia. Five years later the Philadelphian Jury found out a thirty eight year old man guilty for the murder.
According to District Attorney Larry Krasner, Khaliyfa Neely was convicted on charges of third-degree murder, aggravated assault, simple assault and possession of an instrument of crime for the death of Devon Andre Pickett. This is known from a press release on Friday.
Nicki Minaj stated on twitter on February 2015 that two of her team members were stabbed that night in Philadelphia. Out of those two, one was killed. They had stayed in Philadelphia for only two days and were rehearsing for the tour. In an Instagram post, Minaj described the stabbings as “another senseless act of violence that took the life of a great guy.”
Khaliyfa Neely was put on a trial in 2019. However the court was unable to reach a final decision. So after four days the trial ended up as a mistrial according to the press release.
All hope for justice wasn’t lost. District Attorney Larry Krasner asked for a retrail on the basis of receiving solid evidence. He said,“It is our duty to persist in the pursuit of justice, even in the face of challenges. I credit Assistant District Attorneys Adam Geer and Ed Jaramillo for remaining committed to securing justice in this 2015 murder. My office continues vigorously but fairly prosecuting individuals who commit serious offenses so they are prevented from further endangering the public. As always, I thank the jury for their service.”
Further court proceedings will take place on 24th of April. It is estimated that Khaliyfa Neely will receive punishment upto 25 years in prison.