Meek Mill's Request to Overturn Conviction Denied
The petition filed by rapper Meek Mill for a retrial for his drug and gun convictions had been denied.
NBC 10 reported that Judge Genece Brinkley did not allow the rapper's petition to have a new trial based on the questionable credibility of the police officer who testified against him in 2008.
The officer in question named Reginald Graham was reportedly included in a "secret list" that identify the police officers with untrustworthy reputations.
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According to the Philadelphia judge, Mill did not meet his burden of proof in discrediting the officer's credibility based on the 47-page decision that was issued Monday night. This is in spite of the fact that the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office already recommended a new trial for the rapper.
"After an in-depth review of the record, court history, notes of testimony, and evidence submitted at the evidentiary hearing, this court hereby denies defendant's petition for PCRA relief as defendant failed to meet his burden of proof," the ruling stated.
However, Mill's lawyer Joe Tacopina told CNN that they are not really surprised by Brinkley's decision.
"Despite the agreement of the District Attorney's office on the need for a new trial, and the granting of new trials to other identically situated defendants, Judge Brinkley made clear ... she had already decided the matter," Tacopina stated.
The lawyer also told NBC 10 that they still believe that the "miscarriage of justice" can still be fixed if the case will be allowed to have a chance for further review.
Mill's original sentence was 11 to 23 months in prison after his conviction for his 2007 gun and drug offenses. In 2017, Brinkley ruled that he violated his 10-year probation and had him sentenced to two to four years in prison.
He was able to serve five months behind bars until the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled for his freedom while his appeal for the conviction was being heard in Brinkley's court.
