Well, that was quick! Rapper Beanie Sigel has been acquitted of those charges that he shot and nearly killed a man during an altercation outside a Philadelphia bar back in Jul 2003.
As previously reported, it is the second time the rapper has been in court to face the charges that he shot one Terrance Speller. The jury in his first trial in 2004 couldn't reach a conclusion so the judge hearing the case declared a mistrial. Sigel re-entered court last week, a month after completing a one year jail sentence for an unrelated charge.
Much of the case against Sigel rested on the witness statements of Speller and a friend who was with him at the time of the alleged shooting. Speller's testimony was weakened because he originally told friends and family he had been shot in a robbery that went wrong. He claimed he had initially lied because he was worried that accusing the rap star would put his family at risk.
But the court this time round decided there was not enough evidence to convict the rapper, and acquitted him of all charges. Sigel is, however, due back in court soon to face unrelated charges that he broke a man's eye socket during a January 2003 argument.