Melvin Vernell Jr. is a Baton Rouge music executive who co-founded the hip-hop label Trill Entertainment in 2001 with Marcus “Turk” Roach, pleaded guilty in 2011 to aggravated battery in connection with a 2005 Baton Rouge shooting, and is the father of the late rapper Melvin Vernell III, known as Lil Phat, who was killed in a 2012 contract hit outside an Atlanta-area hospital. Trill’s roster launched Boosie Badazz, Webbie, and Lil Phat, and Vernell still runs the company from Atlanta.
The 2005 Baton Rouge Shooting
On July 4, 2005, rapper Bruce “Beelow” Moore was shot twice in the face with a machine gun outside Shop Smart Music and Fashion, a store he owned on North Sherwood Forest Drive in Baton Rouge.1WAFB. Rapper Beelow’s Attorney Meets With Suspected Shooters Witnesses said the shooting followed an argument over bootlegged CDs, and prosecutors later alleged Vernell and Roach accused Moore of bootlegging Trill Entertainment recordings.2AllHipHop. Baton Rouge Lawyer Indicted Over Trill Ent Shooting Case Moore survived and had bullets removed from his forehead and jaw. The same day, Vernell committed a simple battery against Demond Eames outside the store, and Roach committed a simple battery against Timothy Carter outside a nearby Piggly Wiggly.3The Advocate. Music Pair Pleads Guilty
In September 2005, Vernell and Roach were charged with attempted second-degree murder, armed robbery, and illegal use of weapons. Those charges were dismissed a year later after the victims requested dismissal, saying restitution had been made and they would not testify. Prosecutors refiled in May 2009, charging Vernell with attempted second-degree murder, illegal use of weapons, two counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.4vLex. State v. Vernell, 68 So.3d 553 A trial court dismissed the most serious counts on timeliness grounds, but the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal reinstated them in December 2010.5Daily Herald. Charges Reinstated Against 2 BR Rap Figures
The case ended on October 28, 2011. Vernell and Roach each pleaded guilty to aggravated battery of Bruce Moore and to separate simple battery counts. State District Judge Mike Erwin gave both men credit for time served on the aggravated battery counts and suspended six-month terms on the simple battery counts, with two years of probation.3The Advocate. Music Pair Pleads Guilty Vernell was 38 and living in Atlanta by the time of the plea.
The Murder of Lil Phat
Melvin Vernell III, Vernell Jr.’s son with Carondelet Edwards, recorded for Trill under the name Lil Phat.6Legacy.com. Melvin “Phat” Vernell III Obituary On the evening of June 7, 2012, the 19-year-old was shot four times in the back while sitting in a car in the parking lot of Northside Hospital in Sandy Springs, Georgia, where his fiancée Alnese Frazier was on bed rest awaiting the birth of their daughter. He was pronounced dead in the emergency room.7Oxygen. Melvin “Lil Phat” Vernell Murder-for-Hire Victim in Atlanta
Investigators concluded the killing was a planned contract hit. Prosecutors alleged Lil Phat had stolen 10 pounds of marijuana from Decensae “Griz” White and Gary “Eldorado Red” Bradford, who then hired gunmen Deandre Washington and Maurice “Da Boi” Conner to kill him for $10,000.8XXL Magazine. More Details Emerge in the Murder Case Involving Five Men Charged With Lil Phat’s Murder The killers tracked their target through GPS data from the Audi A7 he was driving, leased from Mani Chulpayev’s luxury car business, Global Elite. Prosecutors alleged Chulpayev supplied the coordinates that led the gunmen to the hospital.7Oxygen. Melvin “Lil Phat” Vernell Murder-for-Hire Victim in Atlanta All five were indicted on charges including murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, conspiracy, participation in criminal street gang activity, and weapons offenses.9NBC Bay Area. Local Basketball Standout Decensae White Arrested for Murder
How Each Defendant’s Case Ended
Deandre Washington was convicted of murder and other charges and sentenced to life without parole plus 20 years. Maurice Conner was convicted of conspiracy and participation in criminal street gang activity and sentenced to 30 years.10WSB-TV. Man Gets Life Without Parole for Murder of Rapper Lil Phat Gary Bradford was acquitted of murder but convicted of conspiracy and gang-activity charges and sentenced to 25 years; prosecutors called him a member of the “Bang Get Money” gang out of Montgomery, Alabama, while his defense argued BGM was a registered business name and his violent lyrics were a stage persona.11Richmond Magazine. Rap on Trial Decensae White cooperated with authorities and received an eight-year sentence with probation.7Oxygen. Melvin “Lil Phat” Vernell Murder-for-Hire Victim in Atlanta
Murder charges against Mani Chulpayev were dropped in 2015. Investigators believed he had ordered the hit, but the case collapsed after it emerged he had been a longtime FBI confidential informant; his attorneys argued he had provided the tip identifying the other suspects with an expectation the information would not be used against him, and an Inspector General investigation into the handling agent led to the suppression of his statements.12MarketWatch. The Informant: How an Atlanta Mobster Outfoxed Authorities for Decades
Trill Entertainment Today
Vernell and Roach founded Trill Entertainment in Baton Rouge in 2001. The label rose in the mid-2000s behind a roster that included Boosie Badazz (then Lil Boosie), Webbie, Foxx, Lil Phat, and Lil Trill, with platinum-certified singles such as “Wipe Me Down,” “Set it Off,” and Webbie’s “Independent,” plus gold and platinum albums from Boosie and Webbie.13Sony Music. Santa Anna Label Group to Partner With Trill Entertainment
Vernell still runs the label. In January 2024, Trill announced a partnership and distribution deal with the Santa Anna Label Group, a joint venture between Sony Music Entertainment and executive Todd Moscowitz, covering both catalog and new artists. Trill recently signed Tre Savage, whose debut single featured NBA Youngboy.14Music Business Worldwide. Todd Moscowitz and Sony Music’s Santa Anna Strike Deal With Hip-Hop Label Trill Entertainment In the announcement, Vernell said, “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Todd, Lee and Santa Anna to build on the success of Trill Entertainment’s catalog and find new and exciting ways to develop our artists.”15Digital Music News. Trill Entertainment Santa Anna Partnership