LOS ANGELES : Rapper, 2 Others Ordered to Stand Trial for Murder

A judge ruled Monday that gangsta rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg and two other men must stand trial for murder in the August, 1993, death of an Ethiopian immigrant.

Superior Court Judge Paul G. Flynn rejected a defense request for dismissal of a murder indictment against the rapper, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, and the two others in the death of Philip Woldermariam, 20.

The defense argued that a grand jury ignored testimony by two of Woldermariam’s friends that they hid Woldermariam’s gun before police arrived. One friend testified that he saw Woldermariam reach for the gun before Broadus’ bodyguard, McKinley Lee, 23, shot him, the lawyers noted.

On Friday, Flynn said the defense had raised serious issues. But in his ruling, he said it was reasonable for the grand jury to conclude that there was sufficient evidence to proceed with a trial.

“All that is needed is some evidence to support the indictment,” his ruling said. “Whether the defendants acted in self-defense, and if so, whether their conduct was justified . . . are issues which must be decided by” a jury.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Ed Nison contends that the shooting was the result of a gang confrontation at a Westside park. Lee, Broadus and Shawn Abrams, 22, allegedly hunted down Woldermariam in a vehicle that Broadus was driving after an earlier confrontation.

The three men, all of whom deny they are gang members, remain free on $1 million bail each.