Cassidy faces life in prison and a possible death sentence

Cassidy’s been sitting behind bars for more than three months — ever since turning himself over to Philadelphia police, who then charged him with the April 15 murder of 22-year-old Desmond Hawkins. Last month it appeared the rapper’s days of confinement were numbered, thanks to a judge’s ruling that, in effect, reduced the first-degree murder charge to the third degree — thus opening the door, for the first time in two months, to the possibility of parole.

But Monday morning (September 12) a different judge, Court of Common Pleas Judge Benjamin Lerner, slammed that door shut and locked it tight. Lerner decided to reinstate the first-degree murder charge against Cassidy, born Barry Reese, meaning he’s going to be spending the foreseeable future in a prison cell awaiting trial. That means at this point, Cassidy’s only chance for freedom is an acquittal on all charges.

Last week Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Deborah Watson-Stokes prepared an arrest warrant for Cassidy, and then, just a few days later, that warrant was executed and the rapper was arrested again for the first-degree murder of Hawkins. He also stands accused of the attempted murders of two other men, with both charges stemming from the same April 15 shooting incident.

Cassidy faces life in prison — and a possible death sentence — if he’s convicted on the first-degree charge. According to Watson-Stokes, a jury could ultimately find Cassidy guilty on third-degree murder or manslaughter. "The charge is murder, generally," she explained. "The jury determines what degree of murder it is."

source: Mtv.com
09/12/2005