Did Snoop Dogg Kill Someone? The True Story of the 1993 Murder Trial

On February 20, 1996, the clerk at the Los Angeles Superior Court read the verdict that would define a generation of Hip Hop: “We the jury find the defendant, Calvin Broadus, not guilty of murder in the first degree.”

For the millions of fans watching, it was a victory for the culture. But for legal experts, the acquittal of Snoop Dogg (Calvin Broadus) and his bodyguard McKinley Lee was not about fame—it was a masterclass in exposing police incompetence and validating self-defense through forensic evidence.

While the song “Murder Was the Case” became a marketing anthem, the reality of the trial was far more complex. Was Philip Woldemariam an innocent victim shot in the back, or an armed aggressor neutralized by a bodyguard?

Here is the forensic breakdown of the trial that nearly ended the G-Funk era before it truly began.

The Shooting at Woodbine Park: Who Was Philip Woldemariam?

To understand the verdict, we must first reconstruct the crime scene at Palms’ Woodbine Park on August 25, 1993. The narrative initially presented by the prosecution was one of a “hunt.”

Deputy District Attorney Ed Nison argued that the shooting was the result of a “street mentality that when someone does something to you, that you have to go and take care of business.” According to prosecutors, after a dispute at Snoop Dogg’s home, the rapper and his bodyguard, McKinley Lee, drove their Jeep Grand Cherokee to the park to track down 20-year-old Philip Woldemariam.

However, the defense painted a starkly different picture. They contended that Woldemariam was a gang member who felt his “prestige was threatened” when Snoop moved into the neighborhood. The defense argued that the encounter in the park was not a hit, but a confrontation initiated by Woldemariam that escalated rapidly.

Enter “The Bodyguard”: McKinley Lee’s Role

Often overshadowed by his famous employer, McKinley Lee was the man who actually pulled the trigger. A former police officer himself, Lee was sitting in the passenger seat of the Jeep when the altercation occurred.

The prosecution claimed Lee shot Woldemariam as he was fleeing. The defense, led by attorney David Kenner, asserted that Lee fired only in self-defense. Their argument hinged on a split-second decision: Lee saw Woldemariam reaching for a gun in his waistband and fired to protect himself and Broadus.

The critical question for the jury was simple: was Woldemariam armed?

This is where the prosecution’s case began to crumble under the weight of forensic evidence—and the lack thereof.

The “Dream Team” Defense: How David Kenner Dismantled the LAPD

David Kenner, Death Row Records’ in-house counsel, was described as “indispensable” to Suge Knight for his ability to navigate the legal system. In this trial, Kenner didn’t just defend his clients; he put the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) on trial.

The Missing Evidence

In a stunning admission during opening statements on November 27, 1995, Prosecutor Ed Nison conceded that the LAPD had “accidentally destroyed” key physical evidence due to a “clerical mixup.” The destroyed items included:

• Philip Woldemariam’s bloody clothing: Crucial for gunshot residue tests to determine the distance of the shooter.
• The bullet extracted from the body.
• The empty shell casing found at the scene.

Coming shortly after the allegations of police incompetence in the O.J. Simpson trial, this revelation was catastrophic for the prosecution. Reports from the courtroom noted that the racially diverse jury “visibly reacted” and “rolled their eyes” at Nison’s admission. Nison tried to recover, stating, “It was the bullet holes in Philip that caused his death and not the bullet holes in his clothing,” but the damage to the LAPD’s credibility was done.

The “Lateral” Wound Analysis

The prosecution’s medical examiner testified that Woldemariam was shot in the “back and buttocks,” implying he was running away. However, under a withering cross-examination by the defense, the examiner admitted a crucial detail from his own report.

The wounds were actually “lateral.”

This forensic detail was the turning point. It supported the defense’s theory that Woldemariam was not fleeing, but rather twisting his body—likely in a motion to draw a weapon—when the bullet struck him sideways.

The Hidden Gun

The final blow to the prosecution came from their own witnesses. Under intense questioning by Kenner, Jason London, a fellow gang member and friend of the victim, admitted that Woldemariam was armed.

London confessed that he and another associate, Dushaun Joseph, had removed the pistol from Woldemariam’s waistband as he lay dying and hid it to make him appear to be a defenseless victim. London admitted they wanted to incriminate Lee and Broadus. This testimony confirmed that McKinley Lee had indeed reacted to a lethal threat.

The Verdict & Aftermath

After six days of deliberation, the jury returned their verdict. Both Snoop Dogg and McKinley Lee were acquitted of first-degree and second-degree murder. The jury remained deadlocked on lesser counts of voluntary manslaughter, but the message was clear: the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Following the acquittal, Snoop Dogg expressed a desire to distance himself from the lifestyle that led to the woodbine Park incident. “I don’t like to dream about getting paid… I was ahead with me, Warren G, Nate Dogg,” he reflected on his early days, signaling a shift in focus.

The trial remains a landmark case in Music Industry history. It showcased how a skilled defense could leverage forensic details—like the trajectory of a bullet and the mishandling of evidence—to uncover the truth behind a “gangsta rap” narrative.