For his role in the fatal May 2016 Irving Plaza shooting that left three people injured (including Brooklyn rapper Troy Ave) and Troy Ave’s bodyguard, Ronald McPhatter, podcast host Taxstone pleaded guilty Thursday (June 15) to two federal weapons counts of possessing a firearm as a felon and receiving a firearm in interstate commerce, the NY Daily News reports.
Tax (whose real name is Daryl Campbell) had a much-publicized beef with Troy Ave. And although McPhatter did die in the crossfire, the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office did not charge the podcast host with murder. However, prosecutors claim that he brought the firearm into the venue and “fired one shot that killed Ronald McPhatter.”
It is also a belief that DNA was discovered from the 31-year-old hip-hop personality on the murder weapon. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
As previously reported, Taxstone was arrested back in January in Texas in connection with the May 2016 shooting in New York following a T.I. concert. Troy Ave was later arrested and charged with attempted murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon for his alleged involvement in the incident.
He had been released on a $500,000 bond and placed on house arrest by Manhattan Federal Magistrate Judge Andrew Peck. However, prosecutors later convinced Manhattan Federal Judge Lewis Kaplan to keep Tax locked up after an eyewitness came forward claiming they witnessed the podcast host fire the fatal shot that killed McPhatter.
Maybe he will be given leniency with sentencing.
