Who is Andre Dow? Rapper convicted in 2005 double murder seeks second trial
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: A rapper who was found guilty of two murders claims his conviction was unjustified and is seeking a second trial. Andre Dow, better known as Mac Minister, was convicted in 2008 in connection with the 2005 deaths of two Kansas City rappers, Anthony 'Fat Tone' Watkins and Jermaine 'Cowboy' Aikens. 'Mac Minister' is currently serving a life sentence.
“They gave me four lives without the possibility of parole,” Dow said in a phone call with the 8 News Now Investigators from prison. “I don’t know who killed Fat Tone.” After hearing Dow on a podcast insisting on his innocence, Lateef Gray, a former San Francisco prosecutor who knew Dow from the neighborhood where he grew up, decided to look into the matter. He claimed to have found out that Antoine Mouton, the witness who said that Dow testified that Dow made incriminating claims to him in Las Vegas, was actually being held in Georgia at the time. Since then, Mouton has changed his story.
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In 2004, rapper Mac Dre from the Bay Area died in Kansas City, Missouri. Rumor had it that the shooter was allegedly Fat Tone, however, the police denied Fat Tone's involvement. Dow stated that he did not take the rumors seriously. He later asked Fat Tone to meet Snoop Dogg in Las Vegas in 2005. While surveillance footage showed Dow exiting a casino with Fat Tone and Cowboy, Dow asserts that they soon parted ways. “I don’t know where they went, but he said he had some business to handle,” Dow said.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo of Clark County prosecuted the case and specified a deadline by which Mouton had to have been detained. DiGiacomo later admitted that he made a mistake. However, DiGiacomo continues to support the murder conviction even as Dow claims his innocence in court. “I have the phone records and the 911 call establishing the timeline,” he testified.
Meanwhile, Gray stated to the 8 News Now Investigators that he thinks Dow is innocent and that Mouton's custody situation and criminal background were not disclosed by the authorities. Robert DeMarco, an attorney, submitted a petition for a writ of habeas corpus, claiming that the prosecution concealed information and that Dow was not given a fair trial.
Lamont “Marlo Boss” Williams, the cousin of Fat Tone said, “If he didn’t pull the trigger, he’s just as guilty as the person that did pull the trigger, cause he set it up." He continued, “He’s most definitely behind it so yes, most definitely… I’ll say it a thousand times. I’ll say it to his face a thousand times."
The remains of Cowboy and Fat Tone were discovered next to a building site. Two days later, a burned-out automobile in California that the prosecution claims was related to the incident was discovered. Additionally, investigators suggested a connection between Dow and his co-defendant Jason Mathis as well as a woman who was killed in California earlier that year before Dow was taken into jail.
Dow was arrested after appearing on 'America's Most Wanted.' High Desert State Prison served as the residence for Dow. Judge Michelle Leavitt of the Clark County District Court is anticipated to rule on Dow's case.