Two of the managers of Trill Entertainment (also known as Trill ENT), a music label out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, are accused of using violent threats to “further their business interests”. Melvin Vernell, Jr. and Marcus Roach are being held without bond on charges of attempted murder and other related charges. Vernell is from Baton Rouge and Roach is from Prairieville and both are accused of witness intimidation related to the 2005 shooting of Baton Rouge area rapper Beelow. Beelow is the stage name of Bruce Moore who was shot twice in the face on July 4, 2005 outside of Shop Smart Music & Fashion, a retail outlet he owns on North Sherwood Forest Boulevard in Baton Rouge. The pair is being held without bond, pending the outcome of a bond hearing.
Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Capital Area Gang Task Force have been involved with the investigation, as well as local authorities. New charges were filed by prosecutors against Vernell and Roach on May 8, 2009. Both were charged with one count each of attempted second degree murder, illegal use of weapons, aggravated battery, armed robbery, two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, and three counts of possession of an illegal firearm by a convicted felon. They pleaded not guilty to those charges yesterday. Lewis Unglesby and James Manasseh, attorneys for Vernell and Roach respectively, are involved today in a bond hearing.
The coordinator of the FBI’s Capital Area Gang Task Force testified on Thursday that the pair have been involved in a pattern of witness intimidation, including attempts to pay off witnesses or offering them jobs in exchange for refusing to testify. Witnesses interviewed by the FBI also contend that Trill ENT was established for the purpose of laundering drug proceeds. None of this has been substantiated, but the issue was raised during the course of the investigation.
Beelow is popular for his local hit, “It’s Whateva”. Trill ENT is the home to national recording artists, Lil Boosie, Webbie, Foxx, Big Head, and several others. Lil Boosie recently had legal trouble of his own when his house party turned into a melee, after which he was arrested. Lil Boosie is the stage name of popular rapper Torrence Hatch.
