Driver behind murder of T.I.’s friend, Philant Johnson, sentenced to prison
June 27th, 2009 by Zach Fraser in Music news
When T.I.’s long-time friend and personal assistant Philant Johnson was killed in 2006, the Atlanta rapper was distraught to say the least.
T.I. — now serving a 366 day sentence in Arkansas — and his entourage, including Johnson, were involved in a shooting after leaving a nightclub in Cincinnati in early May 2006.
Padron Thomas, the man who drove the vehicle from which the deadly shots were fired, has been sentenced to 17 years in prison.
From the Associated Press:
Forty-one-year-old Padron Thomas told a judge he’s a “knucklehead” and wishes he could take back what he did. He was sentenced Wednesday on gun charges and unrelated federal drug charges.
He testified in December against his younger brother, who was sentenced to 66 years in prison for shooting Philant Johnson in May 2006 after a T.I. concert in Cincinnati.
Three others were injured in the shooting. The Grammy-winning Atlanta rapper wasn’t hurt.
In exchange for his testimony, Thomas received a reduced sentence for his involvement in a drug ring that shipped marijuana from California to Cincinnati.
(Photo by Crickontour/Flickr)
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