Jury Begins Deliberations in Rapper’s Murder Trial

Jurors at the murder trial of rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg began deliberating his fate Friday after a prosecutor told the panel not to allow the defense to “demonize” the victim.

Comparing victim Philip Woldemariam to the fictional character Bigger Thomas in the novel “Native Son,” co-prosecutor Bobby Grace told the jury: “They are trying to portray Philip Woldemariam as an aggressive, wild person. Don’t fall into that trap.”

The rapper, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, and former bodyguard McKinley Lee, 25, have been charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of Woldemariam at Woodbine Park on Aug. 25, 1993.

The two also are charged with conspiracy to commit assault with a handgun, and Broadus is separately accused of accessory after the fact. Both remain free on bail, set at $1 million each.

Prosecutors argue that Woldemariam was gunned down--shot in the back and buttocks--after he tried to flee from a confrontation with the rapper and his bodyguard at the park in the Palms area of West Los Angeles.

Defense lawyers say Woldemariam was going for a gun in his waistband when Lee fired at him from a Jeep driven by Broadus. They described Woldemariam as a hotheaded gang member who did not think rationally when he was angry.