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One of the men charged with killing rapper Chinx in a drive-by shooting nine years ago has struck a plea deal with prosecutors.
The Queens County District Attorney's Office confirmed that Quincy Homere pled guilty to a reduced charge of first-degree manslaughter on Monday, July 15. Homere and his accomplice Jamar Hill were arrested in 2017 and charged with second-degree murder and other felony charges. The family of the deceased rap star posted the update on Instagram and reacted to Homere's plea deal.
"After 9 years, one of the individuals responsible for the Murder of Lionel “Chinx” Pickens pled Guilty to a reduced charge of Manslaughter," the caption said.
"While this plea is out of our control, and of no consolation to the family, loved ones, and countless fans of Chinx, It brings certainty to many unanswered questions," the caption said. "Please stand with the family as they seek the maximum time allowable from the judge for the senseless loss of their loved one."
Homere and Hill are accused of killing Chinx and wounding his friend Antar Alziadi during a shooting on the night of May 17, 2015. According to the New York Post, the 31-year-old rapper and Alzaidi, 27, were driving in a brand-new Porsche Panamera 4 after the rapper performed at the Red Wolf nightclub in Brooklyn. Homere and Hill reportedly followed them and opened fire at the vehicle on Main Street and Queens Boulevard around 4 a.m. Both suspects were arrested in 2017 while they were in jail serving time for other respective, unrelated cases. Homere and Hill were hit with a five-count indictment including charges of attempted murder, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon.
Homere's sentencing hearing is set for August 12. He faces 23 years in prison with five years of post-release supervision. Meanwhile, Hill's case is still ongoing. Chinx's wife Janelli Caceres-Pickens also expressed her thoughts about Homere's plea deal on social media.
"We fought hard for a harder charge which should be murder 2 cause in the state of NY, murder 1 is only given in the cases of government officials being murdered," she commented on Instagram. "He wouldn’t take the murder 2 which would of ended in a lengthy trial that we were obviously ready for!! We are not happy with this charge but one can not dodge whatever GOD has planned for him! Manslaughter has me livid n heartbroken. He deserves to spend his life in jail … but we will be there August 12 to hear him get sentenced … CHINX WILL FOREVER LIVE ON THRU IS ALL!! Thank you to all that has continued to support us thru this journey! ❤️🙏"
Next year will mark 10 years since Chinx's death. Since then, his estate has released four posthumous projects including his 2015 debut album Welcome To JFK and the most recent project Cocaine Riot 7, which dropped last year.