Monday, May 26, 2008

SLICK RICK PARDONED


Still newish New York Governor David Paterson, who was called in to replace professional john Eliot Spitzer, has given influential old-school hip-hop artist Slick Rick a full and unconditional pardon on his conviction of attempted murder back in 1990. The circumstances of the shootings and the trial that convicted Slick Rick, aka Ricky Walters, have always been suspect. Rick served his time in prison for the shooting, but as he was born in London he is still subject to deportation under tougher laws enforced after September 11. The governor’s pardon makes it less likely that he will be deported, but due to complicated legal issues, it’s still a remote possibility:

Break out your Cool Water cologne! New York Governor David Paterson has granted a full and unconditional pardon to rapper Slick Rick for the attempted murders of his cousin and another man.

The eyepatched rapper, whose real name is Ricky Walters, served more than five years in the slammer after the 1991 shooting of the two men, who both survived.

The Feds had been trying to deport the UK-born Slick since 2002. The pardon should halt these efforts.

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