My name is McKinley Phipps Jr. and in September of 2001 I was convicted
of manslaughter and later sentenced to 30 years in prison in connection
with a shooting death that occurred on February 21,2000 at a niteclub in
Slidell,La. The victim in this unfortunate incident was Barron Victor
Jr., a 19-year-old Alton man with a promising future.
I was 22 at the
time and was then a resident of East Baton Rouge. I'd attended the club
that night with my parents, a few family members, and some friends. It
was shortly after midnight that a fight would erupt on the dancefloor
between certain members of our group and local patrons of the club.
Details vary from the different witnesses as to what happened next, but
when the smoke cleared, one man lay unconscious, and another lay
suffering from a gun shot wound in is upper left arm. He would
eventually succumb to his injuries. Hours later, deputies from the East
Baton Rouge Sheriff's office arrived at my home to detain me as a
fugitive of St. Tammany. I waived my rights, and after what appeared to
be a brief search of my residence, St. Tammany's detectives arrived and
led me to a nearby substation to conduct an interrogation.
Days after my
arrest, the actual shooter, came forth and confessed to shooting the
victim, claiming that he did so in self defense. Investigators released
him immediately claiming that they'd already received information that
he was somehow compensated for his confession. Of course, neither this
alleged information nor its source was ever brought forth. The
allegation itself served a purpose nevertheless. It was used in court to
deny me a bail, and as a result deny me the right to gather the facts
that I needed to effectively present my defense. For the record, I am
aware that convicts claiming their innocence is certainly not uncommon.
In fact, so many whom are actually guilty have made this claim that true
injustice is sometimes reduced to a side bar conversation.
For this
reason, I encourage all whom may have even the slightest interest to
read my transcripts. Feel free to draw your own conclusions as for my
innocence or guilt. My only plea is that you exam the facts thoroughly.
By no means do I claim to be a saint. I am a flawed individual who would
like to change a lot about myself. What I am not however, is a
murderer. I never met Barron nor did he ever give me a reason to take
his life. The parents of this young man have thus far been convinced
that I am the man who killed their beloved son. The victims parents were
not eyewitnesses to this crime however, and have therefore based their
assumption of my guilt on the State's case against me.
If you or anyone
you know have information that can help me prove my innocence to the
family of this victim, contact me at: McKinley Phipps Jr. #445656, P.O.
Box 174, E.H.CC. Golf-2-D, St. Gabriel, LA 70776 or through jpay.com
using D.O.C.#445656.
On behalf of me and my family thanks to everyone
for their continued support